A couple days back, Juan C. Rodriguez reported that highly touted Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman's decision was coming with "three or four days". Halfway there, and the situation has pretty much only gotten murkier.
The Red Sox remain one of the only teams with a confirmed offer--$15.5 million back in December--but pretty much every team not named Cuba has stuck their nose in. Right now it seems like there are, at least, some teams that are definitely out in the Yankees, Mets, and Astros. Of course, the Yankees are the type to sign a guy they're confirmed to be out on, and Omar Minaya makes the decisions for the Mets, so I wouldn't even entirely count them out.
Ed Wade must be feeling so alone.
Some favorites have certainly emerged. The Red Sox were, of course, in the pack given that for a long time they were the only ones who had made an offer. More recent news, though, has other teams with bids above the Red Sox' original $15.5 million. The Angels are apparently making a very hard push, desperate to make something out of what has so far been a disastrous offseason for them. The Blue Jays have also stepped into the mix, and are considered very much a match for the Angels' interest. The A's and Orioles have also been named as new bidders. At one point, the Florida Marlins were looking like they were odds-on favorites, but a recent tweet from Clark Spencer seems to tell a different story. Of course, the Marlins were never ones to let money stop them from making a move.
Oh, no, wait...
As of this very moment, gun to my head, I would guess the Angels are going to pick up the young flamethrower. Their rotation needs some big help--it was a weak point last year with John Lackey--and with their big payroll, they can afford to drop $20 million on a guy with his potential. Then again, Tim Brown says they're not that close, and given the way teams have entered and exited these sweepstakes over the last few days, anything is possible.
For the Red Sox, it seems unlikely that they will raise their bid considerably if at all. Theo and the front office have made a point of not fooling around too much in negotiations since the Mark Teixeira debacle. They set their price on Jason Bay, and didn't budge from it. Signings like Scutaro, Lackey and Cameron have come suddenly and without much word of deliberation. Beltre seems like the only deal they might have moved on, given the unusual nature of his contract. If rumors of higher bids from other teams are accurate, the Sox may well be out.
So, Over the Monster readers, Aroldis Chapman: Yes, or No? And at what price?