The Chicago Cubs only employed Aroldis Chapman for three months in 2016, and, save for the very end of the World Series, he was as dominant as they expected on the mound.

But since returning to New York on a record five-year, $86-million deal with the Yankees - who dealt him to Chicago last July - Chapman has struggled to regain his form. The Cuban's latest meltdown came Friday night when he coughed up his third blown save of the season by walking in the winning run in the ninth, handing the Red Sox a 5-4 walk-off victory.

In Girardi's mind, Chapman's struggles can be traced right back to his work with the Cubs - a run that included an extra 15 2/3 innings in the month of October.

"That's sometimes the cost of going a long way and deep into the playoffs, the extra wear and tear," Girardi said Saturday, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. "Sometimes it does catch up to you the next year.

"We knew that going in (when we signed him)."

Chapman's brief stint with the Cubs finished in controversial fashion after manager Joe Maddon had him throw 35 pitches on zero days' rest in Game 7 of the World Series, a night after he'd pitched in a Game 6 blowout. Chapman gave up a now-famous game-tying homer to Rajai Davis in Game 7; though he hung on to throw a shutout ninth and picked up the win when the Cubs won in extras, his velocity was noticeably down during that entire outing.

"Personally, I don't agree with the way he (Maddon) used me, but he is the manager and he has the strategy," Chapman said of the Cubs manager in December, shortly after he'd rejoined the Yankees.

Related: Maddon defends use of Chapman during WS

Chapman has struck out nearly 15 batters per nine innings this year, but still owns the highest ERA of his career (3.92) to date, has saved just eight games, and missed over a month of action due to shoulder inflammation. Since returning from the DL on June 18, opponents are hitting the 29-year-old at a .294 clip.

Overall this season, his fastball velocity has dropped to 100.1 mph - the lowest it's been since 2015, per Fangraphs.