Aroldis Chapman wants an apology from Brian Cashman if he's traded to the Yankees

Apr 26, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) looks on after a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are heading towards the August 3 trade deadline as clear buyers, and one of the positions they're expected to pursue is a new reliever.

While there are sure to be some intriguing options around baseball, Aroldis Chapman would be the best possible reliever pickup the Yankees could make. But such a trade has some issues, and the biggest one might not be Chapman on the Boston Red Sox.

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN, Chapman wants an apology from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman before he's traded to the Yankees this season.

Aroldis Chapman wants an apology from Brian Cashman in case of a trade

"What happened, happened," Chapman said to Rojas. "In case of that, for something like this to happen, I think a person from this organization should apologize first..."

When asked if the person who needs to apologize is Cashman, Chapman responded that, "Yes," Cashman was the person in the Yankees organization that he wanted an apology from if he's traded to New York.

Chapman is the top prize for any club seeking reliever help this summer by the August 3 trade deadline. But, for the Yankees, such a trade doesn't seem likely at all.

Beyond the Red Sox most likely not trading Chapman to the Yankees, barring a huge overpay, this issue between Chapman and Cashman doesn't bode well for a trade to occur.

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Not that the Red Sox would actually trade Chapman to the Yankees, but if Craig Breslow did decide to try and pull off such a trade, Chapman would want an apology from Cashman.

Back in 2022, Chapman was left off the playoff roster for missing a team practice ahead of the Divisional Series, and as Rojas notes, "While the pitcher assures that he received permission from the team to go to Miami, Cashman accused him of insubordination."

This fit is already a long shot, but accounting for the interpersonal relationship between Chapman and Cashman, this trade looks a lot more unlikely to happen.

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