CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Hal Steinbrenner ardently defended the Yankees’ most controversial acquisition of the offseason, closer Aroldis Chapman, while meeting with a small group of reporters Wednesday.
“I guess what I would say is, in this country, when allegations are brought against a person, that person is completely innocent until proven otherwise. Not the other way around,” Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ managing general partner, said at the Major League Baseball quarterly owners’ meetings. “I think we should keep that in mind right now. A lot of thought was put into it, but the benefits for the organization as a player, if you just look at the baseball side of it, [there’s] tremendous upside, needless to say.