8 reasons Chapman will cash in as free agent

Aroldis Chapman is likely to break records this winter without throwing a pitch.

The gold standard for closers’ contracts had previously been set by the four-year, $50 million contract that the Phillies gave to Jonathan Papelbon prior to the 2012 season.

Here are eight reasons why Chapman’s new deal should shatter that mark, certainly in dollars and probably in years.

1. This isn’t a big offseason for free-agent pitchers. Chapman is at the head of the closers’ class. Mark Melancon and Kenley Jansen will also do very well in this market, but of the three, Chapman has the most imposing stuff.

2. There is only one pitcher in recorded history who has thrown the ball 105 mph. That would be Chapman. Due apologies to any old-timer who might have thrown that hard but didn’t have a radar gun and a battery of high-tech evidence to verify his velocity.

3. Chapman will be 29 in February. There is no reason to suspect that a career decline should come into play anytime soon.

4. Chapman has been healthy. The way pitching injuries occur in the contemporary game, you almost hesitate to note that, …

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