Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman would rather RETIRE than return to Yankees after 'disrespect' he got in Bronx

In case Aroldis Chapman's historic season in Boston left any doubt, the Cuban-born closer has no plans to return to the Bronx.

Speaking to the Spanish-language 'Swing Completo' podcast, Chapman slammed the rival New York Yankees, saying there was 'no way' he'd ever go back to pinstripes.

'Not even dead,' he said, according to translated quotes from the New York Post. 'If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I'd pack my things and go home. I'll retire right on the spot if that happens. I'm not crazy. Never again.'

Chapman doesn't have to worry about that after re-signing with Boston at $13.3 million for the 2026 season. Despite being 37, the southpaw is actually coming off his best season in the majors after posting a minuscule 1.17 earned-run average while striking out 5.67 batters for every walk he surrendered.

He wasn't quite as good in two separate stints with the Yankees, who acquired him from Cincinnati in 2015 as Chapman faced domestic violence allegations from a former girlfriend. Chapman was accused of putting his hands around the woman's neck, and while he denied that allegation at the time, MLB still suspended him 30 games for admittedly firing a handgun at a wall eight times during the dispute.

Despite this, the Yankees still traded for Chapman in December of 2015, and although he was later sent to the Chicago Cubs in a deal the following July, he'd return to the Bronx in in 2017 on a five-year, $86 million deal.

Chapman remained one of the better relievers in baseball, but nonetheless lost his closer role to Clay Homes before going on the injured list with an infection he got from a tattoo. Then he missed a workout prior to the 2022 American League Division Series, so the team left him off the postseason roster.

'I dealt with a lot of disrespect there. I put up with a lot of things,' Chapman said, as quoted by the Post. 

'I knew that they just wanted to find a way to get rid of me, but they didn't know how. And I just dealt with it quietly, kept playing, and doing what I always do.'

Chapman insisted he wasn't upset with manager Aaron Boone, but rather, the 'bosses.' He did not mention general manager Brian Cashman by name.

Daily Mail reached out to Yankees spokespeople for comment. 

'I got along well with all the players, never had a problem with anybody, even the manager. We're friends and we talk and everything,' Chapman said. 'The bosses are the ones who make those decisions.'

He'd bounce from Kansas City to Texas to Pittsburgh over the next few years before landing in Boston in 2025 in a one-year, $10.75 million deal that proved to be a bargain for the Red Sox.

Not only did Chapman earn an All-Star nod for the first time since 2021, but he went 17 appearances without surrendering a hit between July 27 and September 10.

Chapman is expected to be back in the closer role for Boston next season following the team's first postseason berth since 2021.