Aroldis Chapman poses with Reds GM Walt Jocketty in the press box at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark. (Al Behrman/Associated Press)Aroldis Chapman knew so little about baseball in the United States that before he could pick a team, he had to look at a map. The left-hander from Cuba had never seen a major league game on television and couldn't name all the teams.
He finally settled on one that wears a distinctive "C" on its red cap, like the one he left.
Chapman agreed Monday to a $30.25 million US, six-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, who view him as an important addition to their rotation down the road.
The small-market club with limited payroll enticed him to Cincinnati, where he took a physical, signed a deal and saw snow for the first time.
"When you look at the size of the market we are here in Cincinnati, we have to take some bold moves from time to time to try to improve this franchise," general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We felt this was a very significant move."
Very surprising, too. Depending on when he becomes eligible for salary arbitration, Chapman could earn millions of dollars more.
Agent Randy Hendricks said eight teams were in the running to sign Chapman, who turns 22 next month. It came down to Cincinnati, Oakland and another team the agent wouldn't identify.
Chapman defected in July at a tournament in the Netherlands, leaving the Cuban national team known as international baseball's Big Red Machine because of its uniforms and its domination.
He established residency in Andorra so he could choose his team as a free agent and not be subject to the baseball draft.
Geography lesson
The hard-throwing pitcher didn't see major league games on television in Cuba, so he was unfamiliar with teams and where they were located.
"We took him through a Google map that showed every major league club, and we could zoom in on a state and describe the teams," Hendricks said.
Chapman gained some notoriety during the World Baseball Classic in March, when he pitched well against Australia and poorly against Japan. His fastball occasionally topped 100 mph, getting the attention of major league scouts.
He also attended several workouts for scouts, including one in Houston that got the Reds deeply interested. Once he learned about the Reds, Chapman became interested in them.
Manager Dusty Baker, pitching coach Bryan Price and catcher Ramon Hernandez speak Spanish, which will be helpful to Chapman, who doesn't speak English. And the Reds have 10 players from Latin America.
"In terms of the transition, we couldn't look for a better place for someone who came from Cuba to pitch," Hendricks said.
Chapman agreed to a complicated contract that helps the Reds at the outset. He gets $1.5 million of his signing bonus when his contract is approved by Major League Baseball, $1.5 million each Nov. 1 from 2010 to 2013 and $1.25 million each Nov. 1 from 2014 to 2020.
Chapman gets annual salaries of $1 million this year and next, $2 million each in 2012 and 2013 and $3 million in 2014. Within five days of the 2014 World Series, he must decide whether to exercise a $5 million player option for 2015.
If Chapman is eligible for salary arbitration after the 2012 season, he would get $5 million converted to a bonus and become eligible for arbitration. If he is arbitration eligible after the 2013 season, he would get $3 million converted to a bonus and then be eligible for arbitration.
The Reds are expected to trim their payroll from the $72.7 million starting figure for last year. They drew 1.7 million fans during their ninth straight losing season, their smallest attendance figure since 1986.
"Financially, it works for us," Jocketty said. "It does not impact our major league payroll this year in a significant way. It's a deal that will be paid out over time. We're thrilled."
