Reds Save Cincinnati In Midst of Depression

The Cincinnati Reds today announced the signing of 21 year old (or 22 according to some people, or 34 according to the woman who gave birth to him) Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman to a 6 year, $30.25 million deal. Chapman is a flame-throwing left hander who the Reds are hoping will become a staple in their starting lineup within the next couple years. Chapman (I'll just keep calling him that since I really have no idea how to say/type his first name. Arr-ole-dis?) gained notieriety on the National stage during the 2009 World Baseball Classic where he recorded 8 strikeouts in 6.1 IP, regularly throwing around the 100mph mark.

Scouts are torn on whether Chapman is big league ready right away. All agree he has a fire fastball, a good slider, but would like to see him develop a change-up to counter his fastball.

Most baseball analysts were convinced that Chapman would sign with the usual suspects Yankees or Red Sox but the Reds seemed to make an offer that the Yankees and Red Sox perhaps thought was too risky. If you listen to any baseball analyst talk about the deal, they are simply shocked. I think they are just as shocked that they are actually talking about the Reds in January on national TV as they are shocked that the Reds signed Aroldis.
My theory to explain the signing:
Cincinnati actually does have an owner that cares about the city. After watching the Bengals embarrass themselves, their families, Cincinnatians, Northern Kentuckians, the NFL in general Saturday night, Bob Castellini thought this city needed a pickup. Thus, the Reds entered the race for Chapman at the last minute as the dark horse team. Aroldis Chapman knew as much about the Reds as Mike Brown knows about NFL player personel moves. However, Chapman saw the Reds had a "C" on their hat that looked similar to his Cuban "C", and that their nickname at one point was "The Big Red Machine" (The same nickname as his Cuban national team). And that's how Chapman ended up with the Reds.

It won't be known until deep into spring training whether Chapman is an immediate starter, or at least bullpen member, or if it's a year or two down the road. But the thought of a starting lineup consisting of Chapman, Cueto, Volquez, Harang, Bailey, and Arroyo makes me smile. It's nice to see the dedication to pitching in Cincinnati. To think just a couple years ago, our 3rd starter was Matt Belisle. It's also nice to see ownership in Cincinnati who cares.