Aroldis Chapman is a Cincinnati Red

Updating our earlier news, it is now appearing more likely that Aroldis Chapman will be a Cincinnati Red.

Besides our sources, the Reds themselves are announcing the news stating, "MLB.com has confirmed from a National League source that the team involved is the Reds."

We are also hearing this elsewhere, such as from Jeff Blair of Toronto's Globe and Mail, who also confirmed that Aroldis Chapman has agreed to a five-year, $30 million contract with the Reds.

He writes:
The Cuban left-hander drew bids this winter from baseball's biggest spenders and several surprise teams, but the Reds stepped forward and grabbed him with an overwhelming offer. Chapman's fastball has been clocked in the triple-digits but he has no major league experience and his first year in the show may be an adventure.

No word on whether the similarities in hats had anything to do with his decision.

Again, none of this is 100% confirmed, but it is the latest news.

We'll update when more news comes in.

Aroldis Chapman has Agreed to a $30MM Offer from NL Team

according to a tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

The question now is, "which team?"

Last we heard on Chapman, the main suitors were American League teams (the Angels and Blue Jays) and the largest offer he'd received was around $23MM, so this would qualify as a major surprise.

Passan reports:

Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, whose defection sparked a bidding war among major league teams that coveted his 100-mph fastball, agreed Sunday morning to sign for $30 million with a National League team, according to a source close the negotiations.

The 22-year-old Chapman’s value has steadily climbed since a Dec. 15 workout in Houston in which he wasn’t throwing at full speed and still hit 97 mph. His potential as a front-of-the-line starter intrigued teams from coast to coast, as the Los Angeles Angels, Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays were reportedly strong suitors.

The bidding increased from an initial $15.5 million offer from the Boston Red Sox in early December when Chapman to the highest reported proposal of $23 million from Toronto. In recent days, the unidentified National League team trumped them all with an offer still far short of the $50 million Chapman initially sought.

Few NL teams beyond the Marlins have been linked to Chapman. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals sent their general managers to the workout. The New York Mets are an intriguing possibility as well, fulfilling Chapman’s desire to play in a big city. The Cincinnati Reds were “going after him like crazy,” according to a source, but were skeptical about landing him.

The increased interest around baseball coincided with Chapman firing Edwin Mejia, a fledgling agent who helped him establish residency in Andorra after he defected from the Cuban national team over the summer. His new agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, are well-respected around baseball, and officials said they appreciated the transparency the Hendrickses applied to Chapman.

More to follow.

UPDATE: There is no definitive word, but it looks like the Reds are the team.