According to the New York Times, Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman has been suspended for 30 games under MLB's new domestic violence policy for his incredibly violent altercation with his girlfriend. In October 2015, Chapman was the subject of police report after allegedly choking his girlfriend and shoving her against the wall. His girlfriend then reportedly fled the house and hid in some bushes while Chapman went to his garage and fired a gun eight times into the wall. More than a dozen police showed up at his home, but Chapman was not charged with any crimes due to insufficient evidence and conflicting stories. After a negotiation between Chapman's representatives and MLB, he will not be eligible to return until May 9th.
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Under the terms of the deal, Chapman will be permitted to participate in Spring Training, but must sit out once Opening Day rolls around.There was some question whether a suspension might interfere with his service time/free agency status, pushing it back another year, but—and this was likely a significant consideration in the negotiation with MLB—Chapman will appear in enough games that he will become eligible for free agency after this season. Had Chapman's suspension been 46 games or more, it would have pushed his eligibility back to after the 2017 season.Chapman released a statement saying he "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." You can read the full statement here.Meanwhile, another pitcher who throws a triple-digit fastball will be sitting 20 more games than Chapman to start the season, for smoking weed.[New York Times]The suspension came after negotiations between Major League Baseball executives and lawyers for Chapman and the players union arrived at a number that was amenable to both sides, according to a baseball official who was briefed on the negotiations. As a result, Chapman will not appeal the ruling, although he had recently stated that he intended to do so.