Dodgers Rumors: Aroldis Chapman No Longer An Option, per CBS

The offseason started on quite the high note, as the Dodgers looked ready to team Kenley Jansen with possibly the least-hittable pitcher in baseball at the back end of the bullpen.

Any chance of that came crumbling down once the reports surfaced of an alleged domestic violence incident between Chapman and his girlfriend back in October.

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Now, after what seems like forever from the beginning of the Winter Meetings, the Dodgers have basically moved on completely from any chance of acquiring Chapman, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

The Dodgers aren’t going to be the team for Chapman, as they put off their agreed-upon trade indefinitely and there’s no belief they will seriously re-consider that decision anytime soon (and, in fact, the Dodgers on Wednesday sent infielder Jose Peraza, who’d been in the agreed-upon Chapman deal, to Cincinnati in the three-team trade that sent star third baseman Todd Frazier from Cincinnati to the White Sox).

Based on reactions in social media the fan base is pretty split on this issue. More information (such as whether the MLB will suspend Chapman for his alleged actions or what actually happened that night) is obviously needed to make a fully-informed decision. The problem is: MLB is taking their time with the investigation and we’ll probably never know exactly what happened in Chapman’s house.

What we do know is that the alleged details of the incident are pretty ugly and that domestic violence is probably the hottest topic in all of sports, stirring up (rightly) visceral responses from those who prioritize morality.

Many will say morality should take a backseat to the actual competition and, in this case, Chapman would obviously make the Dodgers noticeably better — if not suspended for a significant length of time.

It’s not my place to tell fans how to feel about this issue, it’s way too complicated for me to go there. All we can do is present the facts on both sides and let the conversation go from there and hope it becomes productive.