Aroldis Chapman Signing: What Risks are the Royals Taking?

On Thursday, January 19th, it was announced that Aroldis Chapman, former New York Yankee star closer, agreed to a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals officially signed the seven-time All-Star to a deal worth $3.75 million a week after agreeing to sign the closer.

The closer first signed with the New York Yankees following a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for four minor league players. The Yankees then traded Chapman, along with four other players from the club, before the trade deadline in July of the 2016 season to the Chicago Cubs. Following the 2016 season, recently winning the World Series with the Cubs, Chapman was re-signed by the Yankees, where he spent the last six seasons. 

Heading into the 2023 season, Chapman has a career regular-season ERA of 2.48 in 667 games played. This past season, Chapman put up the worst ERA of his career, with 4.46 in 43 games played.

Chapman also missed a decent amount of time on the IL last season due to various injuries, such as Achilles tendinitis in May and then a leg infection after a tattoo he had done. Chapman was removed from the Yankees’ roster prior to the 2022 American League Division Series due to an “unacceptable” excuse for missing a mandatory team workout. 

Chapman’s tensions with the club aren’t the first red mark in the history of his Major League Baseball career. In 2016 Chapman was suspended from play for 30 games after domestic violence charges toward his girlfriend surfaced.

The Royals seem to be taking a big leap of faith with the closer, considering that his once jaw-dropping 100+ mph fastball no longer is a unique stat that only he can reach. The newest batch of rookies in the majors is now reaching that speed with ease. Chapman no longer holds an edge above batters, as they are now more often seeing high-speed pitches.

The Royals bullpen struggled last season, as their relievers had an ERA of 4.66, which was fourth-worst in the MLB. Chapman will join pitchers Dylan Coleman and Scott Barlow as the Royals’ closers.

Adding this bullpen depth is something that this team needs in order to be a playoff contender in the 2023 season, but is it worth the risks after Chapman’s problematic history?