NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Aroldis Chapman and his triple-digit fastball are heading back to the Bronx, as the left-handed closer has agreed to a five-year, $86 million contract with the Yankees, a source told MLB.com.
The club has not officially announced the signing, as Chapman must still pass a physical to finalize the deal.
General manager Brian Cashman had repeatedly stated that one of his offseason priorities was to work out a deal with Chapman, who posted a 2.01 ERA with 20 saves for New York last season before helping the Cubs snap their 108-year World Series championship drought.
 
Aroldis Chapman agrees to a 5-year, $86M deal with Yankees
 
"The attraction of him is that we know he can pitch in New York and he doesn't have a Draft pick attached," Cashman said prior to the agreement. "So then it just comes down to money and term."
The agreement sets a Major League record for the largest contract handed to a relief pitcher, which was briefly held by Mark Melancon's four-year, $62 million agreement with the Giants. Entering this offseason, the record was held by Jonathan Papelbon's four-year, $50 million deal with the Phillies (2012-15).
MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reports that Chapman's contract includes an opt-out after the 2019 season, a full no-trade clause for the first three years and a limited no-trade for the final two seasons.
Speaking often with Chapman's agent, Barry Praver, the Yankees believed that there was mutual interest to reach a deal, but they covered their bases by also tendering a contract offer to free-agent right-hander Kenley Jansen. However, Jansen comes with Draft compensation attached since he turned down a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, while Chapman has none.
Traded by the Yankees to the Cubs for a four-player package that included 19-year-old infielder Gleyber Torres, who was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League and is ranked as New York's No. 2 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, the 28-year-old Chapman appeared in 28 games for Chicago and had a 1.01 ERA with 16 saves.
Chapman began his career with the Reds, who traded him to New York following the 2015 season. He served a 30-game suspension for violation of Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy, making his '16 season debut on May 9.
The deal restores right-hander Dellin Betances to a setup role behind Chapman, who has a 23-21 record, a 2.08 ERA and 182 saves in 383 Major League appearances.
Bryan Hoch/ MLB.com
 

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