ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers kicked off the MLB trade season in earnest by landing high-octane relief arm Aroldis Chapman to bolster a battered bullpen.
The deal with the Kansas City Royals comes a month before MLB’s trade deadline but not a moment too soon for Texas, who has frequently seen leads lost due to an unsteady relief corps.
The left-handed Chapman famously fired fastballs for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees with velocity often reaching triple digits. In 2016, Chapman joined the Chicago Cubs during their run to their first World Series championship in over a decade.
The Royals signed Chapman to a one-year, $3.75 million deal over the winter with hopes he would return to his dominant self after a subpar final season in New York in 2022. That scenario played out nicely for KC as he pitched his way into becoming a trade target this summer.
The 35-year-old has posted a 2.45 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings, which immediately slots him as one of the Rangers’ best options in high-leverage situations, an area that Texas has struggled.
To land Chapman, the Rangers parted ways with former first-round pick Cole Ragans, who had been a member of the Texas bullpen himself this season but has been a starter for much of his professional career, as well as Dominican Summer League outfield prospect Roni Garcia.
Ragans debuted for the Rangers last summer and had a 5.92 ERA in 17 appearances from the bullpen this season before returning to Triple-A Round Rock earlier this month. In 18 starts on the farm last season, Ragans sported a 3.04 ERA as he rebuilt his status as a prospect following injury woes early after being the 30th overall selection in the 2016 MLB draft.
Chapman comes to Texas not without warts as the Cuba native was suspended by MLB for 30 games as a result of his "use of a firearm and the impact of that behavior on his partner," ahead of the 2016 season. Further, Chapman’s time with the Yankees eventually soured with the former closer eventually being left off the playoff squad last October after he skipped a mandatory workout.
The Rangers decided that Chapman’s bounce-back campaign was enticing enough to overlook the potential headaches as the Texas relievers have struggled with blown saves and a middle-of-the-road 4.37 ERA while the team has tried to maintain a lead in the American League West.
Expect the Rangers to remain busy in the trade market but the first domino has fallen with Aroldis Chapman bringing his heat to Texas.
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