Chapman Suspended

Aroldis Chapman received a 30-game suspension for domestic violence.

“I asked my staff to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the incident involving Aroldis Chapman on October 30, 2015,” said Manfred in a statement. “Much of the information regarding the incident has been made public through documents released by law enforcement. Mr. Chapman submitted to an in-person interview with counsel present. After reviewing the staff report, I found Mr. Chapman’s acknowledged conduct on that day to be inappropriate under the negotiated Policy, particularly his use of a firearm and the impact of that behavior on his partner. I am gratified that Mr. Chapman has taken responsibility for his conduct, that he has agreed not to appeal the 30-game suspension, and that he has agreed to comply with the confidential directives of the Joint Policy Board established under the parties’ Policy to ensure that a similar incident does not occur in the future.”

Manfred had a literal smoking gun here. Without an arrest or charges being pressed, Manfred could not do much more. I suspect Chapman did not appeal because the suspension is rather short, and it was based on the shooting of a gun in a house multiple times, not a smart thing to do. Chapman could easily have hurt himself or someone else at home at that time.

So far, Manfred appears to be doing a good job on this front. He removed Jose Reyes from the game with pay to allow his court case to play out. He punished Chapman appropriately for acting dangerously. We’ll see how he handles other cases.

The Yankees are a big beneficiary here. They could have been without Chapman for a long time. They have two great relief pitchers that can handle the end of the game for a month. Barring injuries, the Yankees will have a formidable bullpen for the last third of the game for 11 of the next 12 months of regular season baseball.

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