Aroldis Chapman made quite an impression during his half-season in the Bronx, and New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it quite clear Friday he'd love to have the hard-throwing Cuban anchor his bullpen again in 2017.

"Chapman did a terrific job in the short time he was here," Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "He did prove he can handle New York, and he's someone that we would be interested in bringing back. I think there's a lot of teams interested in doing that with him. That doesn't guarantee that he will be here, but he certainly has heard from us and knows we'd like to have him back."

It's a good thing, then, that the increasingly youth-oriented Yankees saved $23 million by moving Brian McCann to Houston on Thursday, because Chapman - a four-time All-Star - isn't going to come cheap.

Unencumbered by draft-pick compensation - Chapman became ineligible for a qualifying offer when the Yankees shipped him to Chicago in July - the 29-year-old free agent is reportedly looking for $100 million this winter, one agent told CSNChicago's Patrick Mooney earlier this month.

A contract of that size is unprecedented for a reliever. It could even deter the Yankees, who, Cashman said Friday, will now "pursue bats," as well. But the market for Chapman's services will be robust, nonetheless - early this offseason, he's already met with reps from the San Francisco Giants, while the Los Angeles Dodgers were expected to make a "dedicated pursuit" of the intimidating closer.

In 2016, his seventh season in the big leagues, Chapman was typically unhittable, fashioning a 1.55 ERA with an 0.86 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 58 innings, converting all but three of his 39 save opportunities. Since making his debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, Chapman has compiled more WAR than every reliever except Craig Kimbrel, while Chapman's 42.6 percent strikeout rate is the highest in history among pitchers with at least 300 innings.