Yanks Interested in Top Cuban Pitcher

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 03 July 2009 02:00:00 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested. Here's more from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."

Here's some more from ESPN's Buster Olney:

ESPN is also reporting that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

So, do you think the Yanks should go for it and sign the 21 or 26-year-old? I do. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches? Why the heck not?

I don't know about you, but I have no problem with the Yankees taking financial risks on international free agents. They have all the money in the world, so a bust here or there isn't going to hurt them.