Aroldis Chapman gets 30 game suspension

The newly acquired Aroldis Chapman will not start the season on Opening Day with the Yankees. After an alleged beating of his girlfriend at his Florida home, MLB suspends him for thirty games based on the new domestic violence policy.

Chapman stated that he will not appeal the decision: “I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry,” Chapman said in a statement. “The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distractions that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates and most importantly, my family. I have learned from this matter, and I look forward to being part of the Yankees’ quest for a 28th World Series title. Out of respect for my teammates and my family, I will have no further comment.”

The penalty will probably hit him where it hurts the most; in his wallet. He will miss thirty days pay, an amount of $1,856,557.

MLB let the Yankees know that Chapman can join the team on May 9 even though the team will not have played thirty games due to rain outs, etc.

Remarkable fact is that despite the lack of sufficient eveidence and witnesses, MLB has decided to suspend Chapman where the Davie Police Dept. decided not to charge Chapman. They closed the investigation pending new evidence.

Chapman is one of the three MLB players that were under investigation due to domestic violence. The other two were Jose Reyes (Rockies) and Yasiel Puig (Dodgers).

Without Chapman in their ranks, the Yankees will start the season with Andrew Miller as their closer and Dellin Betances as the setup man.