New York Yankees

Despite Aroldis Chapman not being prosecuted, the New York Yankees still may suffer the consequences. 

By Patrick Brewer

On Thursday morning news broke that New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman would not be prosecuted for the domestic incident that occurred in October.

Chapman was acquired by the Yankees in December following breaking news of a domestic incident that torpedoed trade talks between the Reds and Dodgers.

After the initial dust had settled the Yankees swooped in and picked up Chapman for a much discounted price. This formed what could be  the greatest bullpen trio in baseball history.

Just last week the Yankees named Chapman as closer for the 2016 season. Obviously that was contingent on any charges or suspension that Chapman could face.

At this point Chapman will not be prosecuted for that domestic incident from October. However, there is still a very real chance that Chapman may be suspended for at least the start of the 2016 season.

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In an interview with the Associated Press, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner praised the Yankees acquisition of Chapman, stating that Chapman was “innocent until proven otherwise.”

While Chapman may be innocent and won’t be prosecuted, the MLB will likely come down heavy on the Yankees new closer pending further investigation. No conviction is necessary for the MLB to discipline a player under their new domestic violence policy.

This policy was approved last year and it is still very likely that Chapman faces at least some suspension in order to set some precedent on the issue.

At the end of the day Chapman may not be prosecuted in a court of law, but that does not mean he is innocent.

The Yankees did take a chance on Chapman and seem to have come out on top.

That is until a suspension is handed down.

Domestic violence should not be trivialized by any means. Some issues are more important than the game of baseball, domestic violence clearly being one of them.

And for his transgressions, Chapman and more importantly the Yankees will still likely pay in lost time.

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Patrick is a recent graduate of the University of California San Diego where he studied Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. He is also a lifelong baseball fan and has dreams of one day watching a Major League game in every stadium.