The last time the two baseball superpowers tangled over a talented Cuban defector, the Yankees signed Jose Contreras and the Red Sox were left steaming, so angry that GM Theo Epstein supposedly kicked chairs at the Nicaragua hotel where both teams negotiated with the pitcher. A furious Sox chief executive Larry Lucchino later dubbed the Yanks. "The Evil Empire," enraging the Steinbrenner clan and adding flames to an already-intense rivalry.
Get ready for another international incident. Many in baseball believe either the Yanks or Sox will sign Aroldis Chapman a 21-year-old left handed pitcher who has hit 102 miles per hour on the radar gun. Chapman, who defected from Cuba last July and is a free agent, might be the best pitching prospect not already in a major league organization. Continue
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