Former Reds star Aroldis Chapman unloads on Yankees in fiery rant

There appears to be no love lost between the New York Yankees and former closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman recently appeared on a podcast and said, "If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens." Chapman went on to say, "I knew that they just wanted to find a way to get rid of me, but they didn’t know how."

Chapman last pitched for the Yankees back in 2022. Some fans will remember that the flamethrower was left off the Yankees postseason roster that year after missing a mandatory workout. Whatever the details are surrounding that event, it appears that Chapman felt incredibly disrespected by New York. He left the following offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals.

Former Reds All-Star Aroldis Chapman unloads on Yankees in fiery rant

Chapman signed with the Yankees' chief rival, the Boston Red Sox, this past offseason and went on to have a phenomenal year in Beantown. The fireballer had so much success, that even at 37 years old, he was able to secure a rather hefty contract extension. Chapman will make north of $13 million next season in Boston with a vesting option for 2027.

Cincinnati Reds fans fondly remember Chapman's time with the organization. Though he went on to have success with multiple teams over the past decade, one could argue that Chapman's best years were the early ones in the Queen City. After signing as a free agent out of Cuba, Chapman spent his first six big-league seasons in Cincinnati and posted a 2.17 ERA and struck out 546 in 319 innings of work.

Chapman had an off-the-field incident that came to light in 2015, which led to Cincinnati's decision to move on from their All-Star closer. The Reds traded Chapman to the Yankees in exchange for Caleb Cotham, Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, and Tony Renda. None of those players ever made an impact for the Reds, but Chapman went on to enjoy four more All-Star seasons while also winning a World Series with the Chicago Cubs (2016) and Texas Rangers (2023).