Prosecutors in South Florida have elected not to file domestic-violence charges against New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman was under investigation for an Oct. 30 incident with his girlfriend, 22-year-old Cristina Barnea, after the couple got into an argument.
“We are all pleased that the Davie Police Department and the Office of the State Attorney took the time to fully investigate the matter and have concluded that charges were not warranted,” Chapman’s lawyer, Paul Molle, told the Sun Sentinel.
According to a police report, Barnea stated that Chapman pushed and choked her. Chapman eventually retrieved a gun and fired eight shots into a wall and window.
Chapman’s version of events was that there wasn’t an argument and that he was pushed by Barnea’s brother.
Prosecutors decided that the conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence made a conviction unlikely.
Chapman was a member of the Cincinnati Reds at the time of the incident. He was later traded to the Yankees and could face punishment under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.
—Major League Baseball could be more receptive to adopting the designated hitter rule in the National League as early as the 2017 season.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the end of the two-day owners meetings on Thursday in Coral Gables, Fla., that there were no serious discussions on the topic. But a drop-off in offensive production the past few seasons and the increasing number of injuries to pitchers have raised some concerns about the future.
The collective batting average in the major leagues the past two years was the lowest since 1972. Several pitchers, including St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright, have been hurt at the plate or on the bases.
The DH rule has been in play in the American League since 1973.
—Slugging free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has a standing offer from the Washington Nationals but at least 10 teams are thought to have some level of interest in the right-handed power bat.
Cespedes would join former New York Mets second baseman David Murphy in jumping to the National League East rival should he sign a deal that is reportedly worth less than Justin Upton’s six-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.
Upton signed a six-year, $132.75 million deal with the Tigers on Wednesday.
Cespedes hit .291 with 35 home runs and 91 RBIs last season, split between the Tigers and Mets.
—Veteran right-handed reliever Fernando Rodney agreed to a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres with a team option for 2017.
Rodney had a 0.75 ERA in 14 games with the Chicago Cubs last season after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
Rodney’s base salary for 2016 is $1.6 million, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, and the Padres hold a club option for 2017 worth $2 million.
—The Tampa Bay Rays have reached agreement on a one-year deal with first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, according to published reports.
The deal is contingent on the 32-year-old passing a physical.
Pearce batted .218 with 15 homers and 40 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles last season. The dropoff came after he batted .293 with 21 homers and 49 RBIs in 2014.
—The Chicago White Sox retained right-handed reliever Matt Albers with a one-year deal worth $2.25 million on Thursday.
The deal includes a $3 million team option for 2017 with a $250,000 buyout.
Albers, 33, posted a 1.21 ERA in 37 1/3 innings in 2015 in his first season with the White Sox.