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Agent: Chapman had 'very good visit'

MLB, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees

Free-agent Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman met with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday and reportedly came away impressed with what he saw.

"Boston was one of the teams he was interested in from the start, and that certainly hasn't changed," Chapman's agent, Edwin Mejia, told The Boston Globe. "It was a very good visit."

Mejia told the Globe that he and Chapman met with baseball operations personnel and one player, whom Mejia would not identify.

Chapman, 21, reportedly had been scheduled to throw for the Red Sox as well, though it is unclear whether the wet weather in the area Wednesday pushed back those plans.

The New York Yankees also are among the teams interested in pursuing Chapman, whom some experts compare to hard-throwing right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in June's entry draft taken by the Washington Nationals.

Mejia told the Globe that 10 teams were interested in meeting with Chapman. Among them are the Seattle Mariners, who have asked for a visit, a source told The Seattle Times.

"This is a player who I believe is a special talent, and we're trying to find the right place for him," Mejia told the Globe. "That means the team, the city, even the fans. Aroldis is interested in every aspect."

Chapman, whose fastball was clocked at 102 mph at the World Baseball Classic this year, defected from the Cuban national team in August during a tournament in the Netherlands.

The bidding for Chapman likely will be competitive, but ESPN's Peter Gammons believes the Red Sox might have an X factor: shortstop Jose Iglesias.

The 19-year-old Iglesias, who was the best shortstop in Cuba and a longtime teammate of Chapman's, signed with the Red Sox this summer and now is playing in the Arizona Fall League.

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