Ex-Yankee Says He’d Retire Before Ever Playing For Them Again

We all remember that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. once famously said that he would never play for the New York Yankees, "even dead." Now, a former Yankees pitcher has echoed those sentiments for himself, as Aroldis Chapman has insisted that he would never go back to the Yankees, and would first "retire right on the spot" if he ever got sent there again.

Aroldis Chapman would rather RETIRE than return to the Yankees 😳

(via swingcompletollc on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/VFsEHsySIe
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) October 27, 2025

Chapman, coming off a spectacular year with the Yankees' biggest rival, the Boston Red Sox, pitched in the Bronx for seven seasons, accumulating 153 saves there from 2017 through 2022. But he also endured plenty of negative fan reaction near the end of his run in New York.

On an appearance on the “Complete Swing” podcast, Chapman vowed he would never don the Yankee pinstripes again.

No way. Not even dead. 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.
I dealt with a lot of disrespect there. I put up with a lot of things. 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 left the team before the 2022 playoffs, after having lost the closer's job earlier that season, and learning he wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot for the postseason. Both he and the Yankees knew it was time for him to move on, and he would never return.

He rejuvenated his career in the years that followed with a number of teams, capped off with a career-best 1.17 ERA while striking out 85 batters over 61 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this year, and racking up 32 saves, his most since 2019.

The 37-year-old has 367 total saves, which ranks him 3rd among active relievers, and tied for 12th all-time.

He has two World Series rings, one with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 (the year before he arrived in the Big Apple), and one from the Texas Rangers in 2023.