01What happened
The story, straight
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that the organization does not owe closer-turned-Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman an apology for how his tenure ended in 2022. Chapman, now with Boston, told ESPN Deportes earlier this week that he would want an apology from general manager Brian Cashman before agreeing to any trade back to The Bronx. Chapman was left off the Yankees' 2022 ALDS roster after missing a mandatory workout ahead of the Cleveland series. "At the end of the day, he wasn't at the workout," Boone said before the Yankees opened a series in Toronto. "I made the decision, based on a lot of things and thought, to leave him off because I thought that was the right thing to do for our club at the time." Boone added that he still has "a really good relationship" with Chapman but that "the ending of the '22 season is what it was."
Aaron Boone shut down Aroldis Chapman's demand for an apology from Brian Cashman over the 2022 playoff exit. Chapman, now pitching for the Red Sox, told ESPN Deportes he'd want an apology before accepting a trade back to the Yankees. Context: Chapman skipped a mandatory workout before the ALDS against Cleveland and got left off the roster entirely. Boone's response Friday in Toronto was blunt — "he wasn't at the workout" — and he stood by the call. Chapman is a potential trade candidate with a mutual option for 2027, but the bad blood makes a reunion complicated.
02Spread timeline
Where it actually started
04What's solid, what isn't
Claims by status
- Chapman told ESPN Deportes he wants an apology from Cashman before agreeing to a trade to the Yankees.
- Boone publicly rejected the demand on June 13, saying Chapman wasn't owed an apology.
- Chapman was left off the 2022 ALDS roster after missing a mandatory workout.
- Chapman currently plays for the Boston Red Sox and has a mutual option for 2027.
- Whether the Yankees will pursue a trade for Chapman given the public tension and his 2027 mutual option.
05Why it matters
The editorial take
The exchange highlights unresolved tension between a franchise and one of its former closers — and it matters because Chapman is a realistic midseason trade target for the Yankees. A mutual option for 2027 gives both sides leverage, but Boone's public rejection of the apology demand signals the organization has no interest in revisiting the 2022 decision.
This is a trade-deadline subplot dressed up as old beef. Chapman is a legit bullpen option for the Yankees right now, and his mutual option for 2027 means a deal isn't impossible. But Boone went on record saying the org owes him nothing — that's not the tone you set if you're trying to recruit someone back.