The back end of the Reds' bullpen will again be secure in 2015.
The Reds and closer Aroldis Chapman avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract on Friday.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported the deal is worth $8.05 million.
Chapman was the last remaining arbitration-eligible player for the Reds this year. They went into the offseason with nine eligible players but traded three (Mat Latos, Alfredo Simon, Chris Heisey), did not offer a contract to one (Logan Ondrusek) and came to terms on new deals with five (Chapman, Mike Leake, Zack Cozart, Devin Mesoraco, Todd Frazier).
Chapman still has one more year of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent in 2017.
Chapman suffered multiple fractures to his skull just above the left eye and nasal region last March after being struck with a line drive off the bat of Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez during a Spring Training game in Surprise, Ariz. A titanium plate was inserted on his skull to help the fractures heal.
Less than two months later the 6-foot-4 Cuban left-hander was back on the mound for what would be the start of the most dominating season of his young but dominant career.
Chapman pitched 54 innings in 54 games, saving 36 games in 38 opportunities, including his final 20 opportunities. He allowed runs in just six of his appearances. He produced at least two strikeouts in 38 of his appearances and 13 times he struck out the side. His strikeout-per-nine innings ratio of 17.67 set a Major League Baseball record, as did his strikeout-to-hits ratio of 5.05-to-1 and his strikeout percentage of 52.5.
“To me, this is the best season I’ve had so far in the small time that I’ve been here in the big leagues,” said Chapman through interpreter Tomas Vera in a one-on-one interview with FoxSportsOhio.com in the final week of last season. “With the situation I had I was able to come back and, up to right now, I don’t believe that I can ask for more.”
Chapman averaged 100.2 mph on his fastball last season, according to FanGraphs.com and its PITCHf/x tracker, but threw it just 68.8 percent of the time. That was down significantly from his previous seasons (82.6 percent in 2013, 81.6 percent in 2012). He was able to do so because he trusted his slider more, using it 25 percent of the time, as well as his changeup. He threw the changeup 6.2 percent of the time.
Chapman gave up just one home run among the 21 hits he allowed last season. He did walk 24 batters, hit two and threw four wild pitches.
The Reds originally signed Chapman to a six-year contract after he defected from Cuba. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 31, 2010. He pitched a perfect eighth inning, including striking out the first batter he faced, catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
The two sides were scheduled to have their arbitration meeting on Friday. They had previously exchanged salary numbers; the Reds had offered $6.65 million, while Chapman was seeking $8.7 million. He made $7.86 million last season.
