Cuban Aroldis Chapman Officially on Free-Agent Market
- Submitted by: admin
- Sports
- 09 / 26 / 2009
Aroldis Chapman is officially on the market.
According to a release by Chapman's representatives at Athletes Premier International, Major League Baseball has declared Chapman a free agent following its investigation. The United States Department of the Treasury has also licensed him as an unblocked national of Cuba, the release said.
"This is a great reward for nearly three months of hard work, but our real objective is helping Aroldis achieve his personal and professional goals," said Edwin Mejia, CEO of Athletes Premier International. "We look forward to speaking with Major League teams and other potential partners interested in helping Aroldis attain them."
Chapman is now free to sign a contract with a Major League club interested in him.
"I wish to thank Edwin and the rest of the API team for helping me get to this point," Chapman said in the release. "It has been a dream of mine to pitch in the Major Leagues and I'm very excited to start the next phase of my life."
Chapman, who recently established residency in Andorra, went 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two games for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. His fastball was clocked between 97 and 100 mph.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound pitcher is expected to draw the attention of big-market clubs, such as the Yankees and Red Sox, perhaps commanding more than the $32 million signing bonus the Yankees paid Cuban defector Jose Contreras in 2002.
Source: MLB
According to a release by Chapman's representatives at Athletes Premier International, Major League Baseball has declared Chapman a free agent following its investigation. The United States Department of the Treasury has also licensed him as an unblocked national of Cuba, the release said.
"This is a great reward for nearly three months of hard work, but our real objective is helping Aroldis achieve his personal and professional goals," said Edwin Mejia, CEO of Athletes Premier International. "We look forward to speaking with Major League teams and other potential partners interested in helping Aroldis attain them."
Chapman is now free to sign a contract with a Major League club interested in him.
"I wish to thank Edwin and the rest of the API team for helping me get to this point," Chapman said in the release. "It has been a dream of mine to pitch in the Major Leagues and I'm very excited to start the next phase of my life."
Chapman, who recently established residency in Andorra, went 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two games for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. His fastball was clocked between 97 and 100 mph.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound pitcher is expected to draw the attention of big-market clubs, such as the Yankees and Red Sox, perhaps commanding more than the $32 million signing bonus the Yankees paid Cuban defector Jose Contreras in 2002.
Source: MLB
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