The Royals announced Friday they’ve signed left-hander Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal. The lefty will reportedly make a base salary of $3.75MM but could earn an extra $4MM in performance bonuses. Chapman is a Wasserman client.
Chapman, 35 in February, spent over a decade as one of the most feared closers in baseball but has slipped from those heights in the past couple of years. From 2010 to 2020, he made 563 appearances with the Reds, Cubs and Yankees, posting a 2.25 ERA while racking up 276 saves. His 11.5% walk rate in that time was certainly on the high side, but he paired that with an incredible 41.2% strikeout rate. Only Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen had more saves in that time and only Josh Hader bested him in terms of strikeout rate, minimum 100 innings pitched, though Hader didn’t debut until 2017 and did that over a much smaller sample.
In 2021, however, Chapman’s already shaky command seemed to get even worse, as he walked 15.6% of batters who came to the plate. He still posted a huge 39.9% strikeout rate but his 3.36 ERA was his highest in a season since 2011. Things got even worse last year as his walk rate jumped to 17.5% and he only struck out 26.9% of batters faced. That latter number was still above average but a huge drop from his previous form. When combined with the control issues, his ERA jumped to 4.46. His fastball, which used to average in the triple digits, dropped to an average of “just” 97.5 mph.
The issues with Chapman weren’t limited to his on-field performance either. He had already drawn the disapproval of many people in the baseball world years ago when a domestic violence allegation led to a 30-game suspension. More recently, he also drew the ire of many Yankee fans by missing time due to an infection from a tattoo. He then skipped a team workout between the regular season and postseason, leading the club to leave him off their playoff roster.
Despite the off-field issues and diminished performance, Chapman still drew interest from a few clubs around the league, including the Padres and Marlins. The Fish even held a private workout with him, with video shared by Alvarez on Twitter. However, they apparently didn’t make him an offer, per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald and Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.
Instead, it will be the Royals who take a chance on Chapman and hope for a return to form. This fits in with similar moves the club has made in recent years, giving deals to veteran hurlers in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle. They signed Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland going into 2020 and then Wade Davis the year after.
The Royals have a young roster overall and the bullpen is no exception. Chapman is now the only player with more than six years of MLB service time, while Amir Garrett and Scott Barlow are the only others with more than four. The new addition gives them a veteran but, perhaps more importantly, a midseason trade candidate. The Royals won just 65 games last year and finished in the bottom of the American League Central. If they endure a similarly frustrating campaign this year but Chapman is in good form, he’ll like be flipped this summer for prospects. Chapman and Garrett give the club at least a pair of lefties in the bullpen, with Richard Lovelady and Anthony Misiewicz also on hand to further stretch the club’s southpaw contingent.
Financially, this deal brings the club’s expenditures to $89MM, per the calculations of Roster Resource. That’s still shy of the $95MM figure the club had an Opening Day last year, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and well shy of their $143MM record high. They could use some upgrades elsewhere on the roster but might not spend much more, with general manager J.J. Picollo explaining in November that the budget might be tight this winter.
Alfre Alvarez of Con Las Bases Llenas first reported that a deal was close and also added the $4MM value for the bonuses (Twitter links). Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported that an agreement was in place and also first had the $3.75MM base salary (Twitter links).
Zoiks!
And Miami said no to him and he lives in So Florida
The Marlins insist they never even made an offer to him.
Not sure he’s the veteran leadership example I’d want in the clubhouse with a young team.
Lord – The Royals can rebuild him, they have the technology.
With BBQ
As long as technology = sticky stuff, then they can do it.
Couldn’t agree more. I expect he’s through!
Not sure if he’s a veteran leadership example? Given the details of his domestic assault charge I’d say they’re 100% sure he’s not leadership material. Plenty of clubs will ignore it if he was still really good, but given last year’s performance I imagine only a couple of organizations would want someone like him on their team.
Fish aren’t interested in winning; for that cheap just being a lefty was good enough
100 bucks says he gets flipped at the deadline. And to that, I completely understand this signing (warts and all).
to understand this signing, you must first understand that no one else wanted him .
next you must accept he’s a potential DFA candidate at some point this season
Pirates would have taken him if he was 4 million dollars cheaper.
Don’t beat yourself up over it.
Goku – If nobody else wanted him, he would have signed for $1M-$1.5M.
I think it’s more accurate to say nobody wanted to give him more than $3M.
@Pirateking Chapman fits the bill of what recycled has beens that the Pirates bring in. I hear they are eliminating the Perogie race during the seventh inning and replacing it with the Rascal Scooter race. McCutchen, Hill, Santana, and Blass are to highlight the race. Winner gets lifetime supply of depends.
If he pulls a sub 3 era teams will probably start forgetting about the domestic charges again… until then, maybe the Astros would take him?
If he has a strong first half, teams will bite.
Yeah exactly. He’s a rebound and trade signing. Hope to bet a decent prospect.
Question is, can he compete for closer in KC? Or is it Scott Barlow’s job to lose?
They will likely slot him into a setup role. I’m sure he will have to earn his way into the circle of trust
Excellent point…deadline trade
Padres offered more but he wanted to be a closer.
Reunited with Amir Garrett.
Lol dam hope him the best
Always liked KC, this leaves a sour taste…
Also available: Bauer & Ozuna, Let’s change the name to the KC Hardly Royals
Oh lordy lorde. Speaking of such, Lorde may have to find a new team. Or give up singing entirely. Apparently quiting is the new Kiwi thing.
But then they’d have to rename the chiefs for sure……
I said something similar to my buddy, “screw it let’s sign Bauer and be a team of malcontents”
The ExpendRoyals
…I know its awful but once I thought of it I had to say it.. reference to Stallones Expendables
Well said
How about the Bloody Royals??
Quite a blow, no?
A. J. Preller sign a free agent that wasn’t either previously a Padre or Xander Bogaerts challenge.
Difficulty: impossible
Chapman isn’t good anymore, has a domestic violence record, went on the IL because he got infected from a tattoo midseason, and skipped mandatory workouts with the Yankees last year in a temper tantrum about playing time. He’s a bad guy and a bad teammate, and you should be happy that your team didn’t sign him
I certainly am. He wasn’t going to like his role with the Padres anyway. Would have led to problems.
But he is cheap. Besides, nobody cares about his domestic disputes unless people publicly make a thing out of it like they did with Bauer.
Well, they should. Giving violent a-holes million dollar deals is gross. But even if you want to turn a blind eye to that, his irresponsible off-field behavior and truancy with the Yankees last year should make any team wary of adding him to the roster
I know. It disturbs me that he simply doesn’t care sometimes. Still, not many guys with his potential get just 3.75 MM.
Considering KC is most likely looking at this as a pillow deal they could possibly flip him at the TD, you’d imagine a competing team would hesitate (or not give up much) to add someone that went AWOL during the playoffs.
Yeah! Who cares that he choked his ex girlfriend!
So you feel that domestic violence is something to shrug off, deGrom? Your mom must be proud of you.
see Dick Allen
Because no one ever learns from a mistake, or should get a 2nd chance
Yep. Always make people sign a contract in front of witnesses. It’s like field trips: you need someone to sign the consent form first.
Chapman has gotten multiple chances not to be a d-bag and has consistently failed.
Also choking your girl and emptying a clip in your garage in a fit of rage is not just a “mistake”, that’s legit psycho behavior, good guys just don’t do stuff like that.
The guy has also been terrible on the mound the past two years, so anyone saying “it should be about the on-field performance” is way off. Chapman doesn’t bring anything worthwhile to any team
You forgot the stupid pastry incident too.
Wait, what?
google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j…
It was 18. I thought it was 100. Maybe, that was an exaggeration.
Yikes. Maybe next time stop when you’re at a Dusty Dozen.
Him and Pham should hang out
@roiste
When you’re a fan of a team that is looking at Dylan Floro, Tanner Scott, Anthony Bender, etc. garbage middle reliever as your Closer, you hope that Chapman is brought in because even him past his prime is far better than what we have.
@Marlins There aren’t enough real baseball fans here to care about on field stuff. It’s all about impressing commenters on the internet with off-field stuff.
@deGrom Texas Ranger
It seems so. I personally will not be enjoying when model citizens are blowing leads for the Marlins…just like they have been doing for the last two seasons.
Now, it’s Alex Reyes or bust! Or the Marlins will continue to lose 1-run games that started as 3, 4 and 5 run leads entering the 7th, 8th and 9th innings.
Great job Kim Ng! I guess when she got her interview for the Cueto signing, she called it a day. Now she’ll space out the Pablo Lopez trade so she’s ready for her next set of interviews. After all, for maximum exposure, she mustn’t group her interviews together. Gotta keep her name in the news.
That team could really use Bauer.
Yes, he could turn around and launch one beyond the waterfall for the fans everytime he’s pulled.
Really opening up a pandora’s box taking someone in with ongoing legal issues with so many teams essentially running him off. And if they’re wrong, that $720K min wage would hurt a lot more in KC than most other places, sadly.
Ranger?
If I were a Carpenter
And you were my Lugo
Would ya sign Brent Honeywell
Would have my Adam Engel
Ok. I didn’t see that one coming
If I had to guess, he probably has his best chance to close out games there
The Royals have a good closer unless they trade him. This is strictly in hopes of getting a good half season so they can trade him at the deadline.
Yes, if he’s lucky, he’ll get all 10 of the save opportunities the Royals have all season.
@Nervehammer
Chapman would’ve been our Closer unless Kim Ng is dumber than she has shown to be.
Somewhere far away on a beach, Mike Matheny is taking a drink of his muy Thai and laughing at this
I think you meant mai tai. Muay Thai is a Brazilian fighting style. If he is taking a drink of that, I doubt he is laughing about anything.
isn’t muy Thai from Thailand? or maybe the Philippines? don’t think it’s Brazilian in origin
Muay Thai is from Thailand. hiflew was probably thinking of capoeira.
That makes obvious sense. Thai is in the name, it just never occurred to me. I always think Brazilian just because I learned about it while watching a bunch of Brazilian UFC fighters use it.
Excuse me? Excuse me, senor? May I speak to you please? I asked for a mai tai, and they brought me a pina colada, and I said no salt, NO salt for the margarita, but it had salt on it, big grains of salt, floating in the glass..
Milt, I’ll burn this place down. Office Space
Mother bleepers!!!
Lol. Great stuff guys. My English teacher dad AND grandmother are proud of my grammatical skills. So I got that goin for me
He said what he said and you need to accept it.
I thought it was My Tie. No wonder everyone looked at me like that.
I think his preferred drink is a Jiu Jitsu.
Yes but his cologne is High Karate.
Youngins might not get it need the voice
Hai Karati the cheapest God awful men’s cologne from the 60’s
I thought he had on Sex Panther- it’s made from real panther so you know it’s good.
I was born in the 80s
60% of the time it works every time!
I heard it was “American Who-Hits Yu”
@SODMOJO
Somewhere in Miami, Kim Ng is saying, “I did my interview for the Cueto signing, My work is done for today. Let me see when I can schedule a Pablo trade for a couple of weeks from now so I can do another interview when people start forgetting about me.”
I’ll never understand the consistency in certain guys getting multiple chances after domestic issues and others being given an unofficial lifetime ban.
Say more. Who got the unofficial?
Barry Bonds??!
Roberto Osuna? I’d expect no one is going to sign Trevor Bauer as well and if they did it’s going to be a massive issue for the team.
Puig
Because not all situations are the same? Seems very obvious?
@rols1026 You do realize this dude took a loaded gun and fired multiple shots at his girlfriend, right? So you care to explain how this guy obviously didn’t get a lifetime ban while another guy got banned for being too rough behind closed doors at the request of his girlfriend? Ain’t nothing obvious about it. Your take is obviously terrible.
To be clear, I have no interest in having Chapman on my Phillies, at any price. Not even league minimum. Don’t like that he quit on the team…don’t like his mentality or his personal track record at all. He is an arrogant, entitled and spoiled athlete with real anger issues. Not in my clubhouse.
I just don’t fall into the old white dude knee jerk reaction that so many on here seem to do…feeling the need to defend complete jerks such as Bauer because they identity with him and have grievances against the fact that society is not quite as rigged in their (our) favor as it used to be. I guess that change is hard for chuckleheads.
I dunno Aroldis totally seems like a Phillie to me
Well first off you are making things up. He didn’t shoot a gun at his girlfriend, they had an argument where he supposedly choked her and then shot a gun in a garage afterwards. Not a good look and certainly a horrible incident, Bauer is accused by multiple women, which makes it a pattern. Sexual assault of multiple women is probably more serious than an argument that got out of hand. You say at the request of his girlfriend, which is quite obviously not what happened: Both are horrible, but maybe stop making up situations
My take? I didnt have a take? Maybe actually read what I said?
Not nice – please apologize to Dombrowski ASAP.
Not to mention your comment is inaccurate on so many levels…. Chapman didn’t fire his gun AT anyone…. What are you talking about??
Carver, you had me in complete agreement again until the second paragraph, lol
As an old white dude, I guess I see things a bit differently. It’s not about skin color, it’s about entitlement and living by a different set of laws once one is the economic stratosphere
You nailed it with the word “arrogant”
I understand that today’s athletes are a million miles beyond those of my youth in the 70’s. I get that that being awash in money and women makes being humble and morally forthright a difficult endeavor
Chapman, Bauer and a particular scumbag like Vasquez are monsters, no matter their color. I realize I’m painting with a broad brush where athletes are concerned and so be it
I enjoy sports. I enjoy watching the athleticism and root for the teams with my hometown emblazoned on their uniforms.
And that’s where it ends for me
Hey carver congrats on having the worst/dumbest comment here. You’ve completely embarrassed yourself.
@rols – Wow, I am hurt. Wait. No I am not – the judgment of an idiot doesn’t mean anything.
@corn – We agree on a lot of it. As an OWD myself, I find the knee jerk, code-talking, grievance mongering alt-right leaning of a too large subset of old white dudery to be fairly reprehensible. And there is clearly a group on here that falls within that (no matter their age) given the comments that I have seen in my brief period in the comments section.
There are plenty of OWD that don’t fall into that quicksand however that should not feel lumped into the grouping. Clearly you are not there, as you are not defending Bauer.
Not true. He fired shots alone, in his garage.
@Carver: Do you feel better? No one really cares what you think. You realize that, right? Some of us are tired of OWDs posting garbage to get likes from strangers. I’m sorry you lack self-worth. Perhaps you should stick to Twitter where you can revel in the cesspool of others who have drank the Kool Aid.
Let me guess, Otis…are you a bit of a proud boy?
Alright Alright. I apologize for “making things up” and incorrectly referencing the facts of the report. He didn’t shoot AT his girlfriend. He shot at the garage door of the house that his girlfriend just so happened to be inside of at the time. Is that better? I fail to see how it is. Nobody including you or I or the league factually know what happened in the Bauer situation. He was not arrested or charged for anything and the evidence also does not indicate guilt. Chapman on the other hand was clearly guilty of everything he was accused of….
@rols1026 Per your request, I have reread your comment. It sounds even more ridiculous the second time around.
Let me guess, Carver are you a bit of a antifa midget?
Maybe check your source on that one, my friend. Chapman fired his gun into the walls of his garage while she was in the house. Get your story straight and accuse the guy of what he did not some “I’m not sure what happened, so I’ll make something up so I look like I know what is going on!”
I appreciate your insights and viewpoints, Carver, and I think many of us of a certain age find what goes on in professional and college sports these days extremely difficult to reconcile. From what I read on these boards, I tend to think there are many older fans who simply put it all into words in a different manner, that’s all
Behaviors and acts that were atrocious and basically career ending in the early days of our fandom are now glossed over and quickly forgotten. As I said above, sports to me is a microcosm of life these days: the haves and the have- nots
Where you and I may differ from some is that being an amoral, arrogant scumbag transcends the idea of race.
He did shoot at his gf. If you’re dumb enough to shoot a gun in your garage there’s every chance it could hit your partner.
That’s all you think about carver. Proud boy trump and whiteness how sad. Grow up carver it’s been years lmao
Umm.. how exactly do you know what race the commenters on here are?
You’re all as toxic as forever chemicals there finding in the fish
I’m out of here, I don’t wanna mute the whole site
I agree there are different degrees but if you ranked them the Chapman incident based on reports would be on the more severe end of the scale
The other guys aren’t left handed.
Many years ago, there was a movie called “Young Doctors in Love.” At the end of the movie, they put funny things. One of them was (a bit paraphrased) “Forever is forever, except for Steve Howe.”
Bauer next?
No comparison. Bauer is actually innocent, unlike Chappy.
Really? I have yet to see MLB give out a 324 game suspension for driven snow innocence. However, we often see failure to indict for real sexual offenses, even when there is hard evidence. In fact, far more often than not, if you talk to any district attorney. Hard cases to prosecute, and they pick and choose where to expend resources, plus they hate to take on cases that are not slam dunks. They care about their batting average as well.
I wasn’t there so I don’t know the real facts. But when you have a Neanderthal chucklehead such as Bauer and lots of smoke pouring out of the windows, there is generally a pretty serious fire that caused some damage.
Well having text messages from her asking and thanking, kinda makes your case tough to sell.
We agree prosecutors are a big problem. with our broken system.
IF Chapman fired a gun at his wife that is attempted murder. FAR more serious than Bauer.
Only he didn’t.
The shots were fired when he was alone in his garage.
wow this chapman story has so many versions yet people are making up things .. in reality per news reports
“Chapman is alleged to have pushed his girlfriend against the wall by her throat while yelling at her and then later firing a gun into his garage wall eight times in a fit of anger. No charges were filed due to insufficient evidence and conflicting reports. He did voluntarily accept the punishment from Major League Baseball.”
not the best thing to do but not his wife .. didnt shoot at her .. and did not attempt anything close to a murder. This is why people get cancelled unfairly because of false narrative portrayed by others.
@flyby Yeah, didn’t shoot at her. Just blindly shot at the wall she might likely have been standing behind. No big deal. Everybody tries that at least once, right?
@CarverAndrews Tyler Flood had more accusers than Bauer. And Laci Green had even more. Are they guilty too? As you said, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
@chemo
yup exactly because everyone that gets slammed against the wall by their throat goes and walks out to where the person that just choked them went to with a gun.
Also in florida (where he lives), the homes have to be reinforced so they can withstand hurricanes … the majority if not all homes i have seen in florida are made with concrete to be able to meet that criteria. Hey who am i to think rebar concrete cinder block could stop a hand gun bullet. Something tells me if he had armor piercing or a high velocity weapon he was firing he would have been locked up for quite some time.
yeah I’m actually shocked that the comments aren’t closed for this thread. /sarc
@curveball
An impartial arbitrator listened to both Bauer’s side and to what MLB found in their investigation of the incident. That arbitrator decided that MLB was justified in giving Bauer the longest suspension ever given (just not as long as MLB wanted). As we have not heard a peep from Bauer since, its easy to assume he does not want what MLB found to become public. That’s about as guilty as you can get w/o the courts getting involved.
No it isn’t lmao
@stymeedone that’s not true at all but you said that pitcher wins matter and opt-out clauses benefit teams so idk what I was expecting.
Mets next guy
Class act + World Series winner. Great role model for a young team
Class act?
*insert “Not sure if your serious” meme*
Seems like a decent signing for the Royals. I don’t follow them enough to know their situation in the ‘pen but, at a glance of their 2022 stats, it’s look like Chapman would be one of their better relievers with even a modest improvement/return to form.
They won 65 games last season. Bringing in a past their prime reliever who’s about to turn 35 doesn’t do much for them at all.
YO WHAT
I mean that’s a bargain if he has anything left. Royals might actually get a prospect back in July.
Yup – this is an inexpensive shot at hoping that he will be good enough to garner a real prospect or two in July.
Every single veteran late FA signing on here has the comment: “he can be traded for a prospect at the deadline”.
The reality is this – very few prospects traded at the deadline have amounted to much, and the few that have came from players such as Manny Machado (from Orioles) and Nelson Cruz (from Twins) that were established entities on good seasons. And while the Twins immediately hit paydirt with Joe Ryan, of the 4 players the O’s got only pitchers Zach Pop (who they left on the Rule 5 draft) and Dean Kremer (just this past year) showed anything in MLB….and Manny was a perpetual All-Star – not a washed up veteran that had a good 3 months.
@samuel – Where we agree…most player for prospect deals don’t pay off on average. However, teams continue to pursue this avenue in every Hot Stove and trade deadline, while knowing the reality that the vast majority of prospects are going to flame out or be of little impact in the long run.
Where we disagree – there are loads of examples where the prospect return has played well. Check out who was traded for Tatis…Bartolo Colon deal…Larry Anderson…on and on and on. Most deals fail, but those that hit are why they continue to pursue things like this.
@samuel
Chapman was a perpetual all star for a long time. Not much different than the O’s gambling on Jorge Lopez for a small sum last year. The team control is less so the upside on the return isn’t as high but Chapman is likely not blocking a great arm in KC from not getting innings.
I like the move.
In fairness, most people thought the Orioles sold way too low on Machado when that deal went down. I think it was Yusniel Diaz that was the big prospect to that deal, but most people viewed it as a quantity over quality trade.
Although I do think you are selling some of the prospects short. Look at the 2017 deadline. Changing hands were Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Tyler O’Neill, Teoscar Hernandez, Jesus Luzardo, Pablo Lopez, and Oneil Cruz. And that is just one deadline’s worth. Sure there were a lot of busts as well, but that’s true of most prospects.
It is still worth a shot to deal these guys, unless you are Colorado and think you can win 47 games in a row in August and September to get right back in the race.
Is he an upgrade over KC’s last couple bullpen options? Yeah, he is. Upside to be better if you can get him squared back away. He hasn’t lost all his velocity yet. If the Royals can’t draft and develop guys nothing really matters but this is a gamble that makes sense to me.
CarverAndrews;
The Tatis deal was by a contending team for an established MLB starter that was still pitching well.
Bartolo Colon was at the top of his game and was a special occurrence – as the Expos were on the verge of moving – didn’t even have an owner with a GM appointed by the Commissioners Office – their hope was that if the Expos would win the pennant they’d get a new ballpark from by happy fans / voters.
Larry Anderson was a decent, established relief pitcher when he was traded for a prospect.
These guys picked up on free agency after the wave of good players were gone 2-3 weeks earlier are coming of a poor season – or multiple poor seasons. Seldom, if ever do they bring back anything in a prospect the following season that the team trading him doesn’t already have multiple better prospects. In fact, the majority of these signings ultimately result in DFA’s the following season.
Not to mention if you’ve heard anything about Chapman—he spends a ridiculous amount of money. His financial advisor also stole a few million from him.
You structure this deal where he gets more cash if he pitches better and I think you have a chance at a winner.
Got it. I kinda’ glanced over your first answer, and didn’t see you limiting it to “late veteran FA signing as the musical chairs period spools out”.
So sure…the vast majority of them don’t work out at all…that is why they are cheap. And yet…teams STILL do them each and every year and have the plan to hopefully flip them for a lottery ticket. And occasionally it does work, so they continue to try.
hiflew;
Were the players those prospects were traded for over 30, coming off of multiple poor seasons where they were signed as FA’s 2-3 weeks after the good free agents were gone, and then suddenly had a good 3 months?
Or were they traded for established veterans that were having yet another solid season…and often had either years remaining on their contracts or were still under 6 years control?.
CarverAndrews;
You’re an incredibly bright poster.
I guess I’m just tired of every time a washed up FA is signed after the flurry of the hood ones, I read multiple posts saying: “they can trade him at the delaine for a prospect”. Read the comments here. It’s actually funny.
Sure they can get prospects…..a couple of guys to fill open spaces on their low-A ball team the following season.
Correct Samuel. At the deadline they’ll be begging for somebody to take him off the hands.
A little bit of everything.
O’neill was traded for a young starter in Marco Gonzales, so he doesn’t really fit the story
Cease and Jimenez were traded for Jose Quintana, who it could be argued was overrated due to sabermetrics for a long time. Kind of like Chris Archer…another set of prospects that did OK
Cruz was traded for Tony Watson a veteran middle reliever over 30 that was up and down A 100% rental.
Hernandez was traded for Francisco Liriano, another vet reliever over 30 that was up and down for his career A 100% rental.
Lopez was acquired along with 3 others for David Phelps, another rental middle reliever. Although he technically did have an additional year of control, he ended up being hurt and missed that entire year.
The point is not that these guys were traded for EXACTLY the same guys, but they were traded for similar guys. Chapman could easily fit the mold of some of these relievers. Especially in a park like KC. It is possible to find something for these guys IF they can perform in the first half.
@bstrowman
Plus KC doesn’t need to worry whether he will show up to a mandatory workout during the playoffs.
@samuel is right.
Most of these deals amount to nothing. I like the upside v. Cost on this one though. I wouldn’t like this deal as much if it were an org that is busting with young talent and has tons of pitching. Like Houston or Cleveland. It’s a worthwhile roll for KC.
Chapman for Glyber. 2016. Cubs win World Series. Great deal for both sides. Glyber never suited up for Cubs. Was a high level prospect.
Francisco liriano had a 5.88 ERA when the jays traded him to Houston for Teoscar Hernandez. It’s certainly not the norm but it does happen from time to time.
There’s a reason why he’s signing with a bottom feeder like the Royals in the first place. If contenders really wanted him for only 3 million, they could have had him. No team is giving up anything of value. for him.
Duly noted for my upcoming AL Only draft.
Hopefully he can pick it back up in 2023! His 2021 wasn’t too bad. In 2022 he had a 4.46 era with 40-something strikeouts. Granted he pitched 20 less innings in 2022. I loved him with my redlegs and I wish he came back. Good luck Aroldis!
What in the world? Why didn’t 29 others have interest? I love the pay for effort idea here. If he wants $, he has to try. Still, this is a steal if Montero gets 13.33 regardless of what he does.
Tag team closers with Barlow. If these young hitters develop and they get anything from the rotation, the Royals could be decent this season. Not enough to make the playoffs, but can still make a good showing.
This makes the bar low for sure!!
Quite the chap, man,
Thoughts and prayers for KC fans.
I don’t like his work ethic or personality either, but this guy is getting a fourth of what Mpntero got. He is an elite reliever coming off a down year. I’d say there is some Joe Nathan/Joakim Soria potential. Many don’t work out, but those that do tend to really pay off. Plus, they only lose 3.75 MM if he gets too drunk to pitch half the time and punches a wall too hard to end his season. Not much risk here
If I’m trying to develope a young pitching core I don’t want this guy anywhere near my team. He’s as opposite a “mentor” as one can be.
Mentor: “If at first you don’t succeed, binge eat 100 Cuban pastries or just blow off work.”
Rookie: “Oh my, that sounds great!”
Quite the opposite of veteran leadership, though I guess it makes much more sense to contenders (Texas). They took on Matt Bush, Manny Ramirez, Hamilton, and Andrus’s idiotic bat flips on popups/screwing around on pop-ups (one of these is not like the others obviously, but still annoying). They would have been a fit.
*batflips on flyouts
Chap the man got something at least. Talent gets paid. Still, it’s BS this man gets paid when MLB colludes to force out Barry Bonds.
and Bauer, Rose, Joe Jackson.
Trying to avoid further controversy here, but sure.
This is just an upside play to try to trade him for prospects later. Not like they’ll have that big a need for a closer unless their young guys take huge leaps forward.
Guess Marlins prefer Reyes
chapman sucks
Waste of an off-season for Colorado. This guy would’ve been a nice reclamation crowd pleaser
Good spot for him. Low pressure; little chance of being involved in a pennant race.
If KC gets lucky they can move him at the deadline for a prospect.
Nobody who saw him pitch last year, unless there is a dramatic turnaround is going to trade for him at the deadline.
If they sign Bauer, he can heave it to the bullpen and Chapman can heave it back. And then the fans can just heave. Bile leaves a better taste in the mouth than either of these two.
Chapman is a good flip candidate for them at the trade deadline. His price is modest compared to others with similar MLB success. Any other current or former closer with those same factors would be too.
Getting out of the AL East might be just what Chapman needs.
It’s really a command issue. Suddenly lost the ability to throw consistent strikes with his fastball. History says the Royals won’t be the best team to help fix his mechanics, but maybe the change of scenery will help.
Its a lot easier to get your head on straight in KC than it is in the Bronx.
I don’t believe it’s sudden Lord. I’ve been watching him for years. This is been going on for years just gradually getting worse.
Big pay cut, but also more than I expected. Show up if someone wants to pay you $3.75MM. I’ll show up for less. A lot less. Phone not ringing.
No one is even calling me for my $500K per year bullpen catcher offer. I am totally mystified. I will even supply the bullpen snacks.
Make sure your mom doesn’t make cookies with peanuts.
They could have him Lord. I wouldn’t expect any sort of magical resurgence. Not to mention the fact that the guy has a bad attitude, and he’s a problem on and off the field.
Maybe he works out. Maybe. He can still throw hard, but he’s out of synch and can’t even get close to the plate at times. He was brutal to watch last year when he was off. The three batter rule made it worse
3.5 million. What a joke. Im sure he will work real hard for that
Aroldis on the bump, halfway to battery
I’m guessing KC’s new pitching regime thinks they can straighten him out? Pretty low risk move.
so KC is the new pitching whisperers? LOL, obviously you never saw a single game Chappy threw last year…..he can’t consistently throw strikes and gets hit HARD with that crappy slider he resorts to when he loses the zone……he is a mop up guy these days…..
Haha. Correct. He may not even be a mop up guy anymore. Good riddance to him. The guy has a bad attitude, and he’s a problem on and off the field.
This is the kind of news that can chase an NBA hater over to hoops rumors.
Royals a sleeper or this just a rebuild trade chip to flip and add to the farm?
If he pitches well enough he’ll get moved at the deadline (given the royals are out of contention)
Dodge a bullet, phew..
I doubt the Marlins were even really in the line of fire…
Why is this ok but if anyone signs Bauer people will lose their minds and boycott
I’ve been asking this question for weeks and primarily get replies from narcissists with no substance. No genuine answers from commenters or writers alike, just feigning, hyperbole and unsubstantiated accusations. Great question though, deserves answering. Notice the “chats” purposely omit any questions on he who shall remain nameless, that’s clearly by design – orders from above?
I still strongly assert collusion, similar to when no one signed Bonds after a tremendous year, obvious different circumstances but same behavior from team executives. They’d rather pass on a tremendous player for non-baseball reasons, despite no arrest – and in Bauers case for no money outside of the league minimum.
Race maybe? Prior comments and likeability? Maybe Bauer was just too much of an alpha for Rob (Man?)Fred to take.
Agreed on both fronts. Choking someone during a domestic dispute then subsequently firing a gun 8 times in a fit of rage, then getting arrested seems worse than consensual “rough” relationship with provable text messages. Many of us have had women ask us to do crazy things, the difference is money – Bauer should’ve been mindful of crazy ones, which ANYONE into such things is indeed crazed. She tried to extort him. Would’ve been cheaper, but I digress…
She PROVABLY kept coming back, (I read the whole exchange, he released it on Twitter) it only became an issue when he ignored her. Not enough to arrest him or YOU KNOW they would’ve, as Cali would’ve LOVED to make an example of of him, but he didn’t break any laws per officials after a thorough investigation.
Fast forward, he’s already served a ridiculously unprecedented suspension and now is being blackballed by Manfred, IMO, too. Collusion, is the only thing that makes sense. Two separate rules, based on…
I agree, except Chapman shouldn’t have been suspended. Baseball really needs to focus on field-related issues. We have evolved from cavemen. The law should do its job, not cyberbullies on social media.
Chapman was suspended…years ago, His story is old just like him. Move on already.
I can understand your thoughts to a certain degree but there are so many caveats that have to be taken into account
First off is the basic idea that the general public is not privy to all details in such cases. You and I *don’t* know with certainty what went on
Secondly, how many of us aren’t major league ball players but work in the public or government sector and are bound by the same expectations. Telling my employer that he should worry about my office work and not the fact that I choked my wife would be met with security being called to escort me out
Third and most important, professional sports rely greatly on public sentiment. Marketing a sport is in itself a multi million dollar endeavor.
Maintaining the somewhat squeaky clean, acceptably manly image equates to ticket and merch sales
I’m sure you know this
I was a huge fan of Bonds, both here in Pittsburgh and after he left. The greatest hitter I ever saw, even prior to his alleged roid usage. But he was an arrogant jerk who had a history of walking all over authority and anyone else in his way.
The incident that Redneck alludes to again put MLB’s marketing and PR arms to the test.
Again, most employers require proper behavior. Ignorance of the expectation or thinking you’re above such expectation can’t be an excuse
I understand that POV, and mostly agree with the premise but being a jerk is by and large par for the course as a major league sport player. It’s almost like you believe Bonds was blackballed too, but are okay with it? They typically look at on the field value and I believe this was a top down order too, to not sign him. Bauer should’ve been suspended for a similar time to Chapman or anyone else purportedly committing violence against a spouse or *ahem* loved one, especially while they’re being investigated- but to be blackballed, no buneo. That’s my take, Bonds had years of not allowing his likeness in MLBPA (games) among other things but was still mashing as an old man, yet the media and sports writers simply pretended he didn’t exist, and his career was over. Now listening to Bonds, his infectious smile and laugh, seems like a different guy, Bauer similarly too seems humbled by his situation. He should be given another opportunity. Mike Vick was…
Small market teams signing 1 year guys and then flipping them at the deadline is smart. It’s similar to fantasy baseball auction keeper leagues where bad teams outbid on players they don’t need but have value, and then move them to further their rebuild. For those that participate in those types of leagues.
From New York to Miami to Kansas City! Hello NightLife!
Someone owes me some cold beer and hot wings! Where are YOU? 🙂
This is a smart move, IMO. Comparatively small investment that’ll hardly crush the team’s finances if he can’t rebound; and if he does, they can keep or flip him. His sinker velocity last year averaged (!) 100.3 MPH. If they can coach him into consistency, this could be a big win for the Royals.
Chapman quit on his team during a playoff push, and by all accounts is toxic in the locker-room, a team like the Royals shouldn’t have such a player around their young staff, IMO. But sure, he’s affordable and hopefully is playing for a multi year deal and shrugs off the ugly of last year, trade fodder or an easy DFA if that behavior continues. To be fair, after watching him the last half decade plus regularly, he comes off as arrogant and disrespectful, and has a hard time finding the strike zone as of late – maybe he’s figured it out and comes out with a chip on his shoulder, not a new tattoo in the middle of the season. An aside, I was glad the Yankees acquired him at the time, because he was a phenomenal player. Now, meh, not so much.
For that same reason teams should look at Bauer, a phenomenal player like Chappy was when the Yanks acquired him, less baggage in that he wasn’t arrested unlike others who continue to find jobs in the league, and would be worth a helluva lot more in terms of on the field value. Seems like a good teacher per his Twitter feed, seeking out younger players and demoing grips and ways to increase spin. But the media told folks to demonstrate disdain towards him, so they oblige. I get it, judging others is easy behind a screen.
The average velo is great but he can’t throw it for strikes. Same for his FB. Perhaps dial down the velo and bring back his change-up which he abandoned. It’ll bring interesting to watch his motivation with a non-contending team.
I think this is a good deal for the Royals and one where Chapman can maybe get back on his feet. I’m amazed he fell off so quickly with the Yankees, but he was always overrated.
He is way past his prime and a questionable dude that probably won’t help the hapless Royals much at all.
Wow…thought he would get more. Glad this Wife Beater POS didn’t;t get more though…
So, either Kim Ng is guaranteeing she’ll land Alex Reyes or she is putting all her faith in the bullpen that has let this team down for two consecutive years.
The Marlins will have 6 Closers this year…one for each month…after they blow saves for their assigned month.
Seriously…Aroldys Chapman gets picked up by the Royals for this price and the Marlins couldn’t bring him him?
Up first in the Marlins Closer merry-go-round, Dylan Floro! Who’s got Closer duties in May after Floro blows 5 games in April?
Are we just calling it 2 years to just talk about since she was here? B/c it has been longer than that
Yeah, I know it’s been awhile since we’ve had anything decent as a Closer. In fact, I think the last guy that did a decent job was AJ Ramos. That’s just sad.
I mention the 2 years under Ng because, as we Marlins fans remember, one of her first things she said was that she’ll fix the bullpen… which she actually found a way to make it worse.
She’s a disaster. Now we see her scrambling to make moves before pitchers and catchers report? She had all winter.
It was the first thing she said, and she emphasized it multiple times…meanwhile, if goy had a bullpen off the best guys they gave away for nothing, it would at least be better than what they have right now
will close for food.
And Kim Ng still couldn’t get the deal done.
You think the contract terms are why other teams didn’t sign Chapman?… let’s face it, the guy makes dumb choices and will continue to make dumb choices. Why even bother?
Marlins had Chapman in for a bullpen session, so it isn’t his life choices that affected this with the Marlins. Unless his arm is falling off, he’s a better choice than the guys who have been blowing leads for us the last two years.
There’s not a competitive bone in his body. This guy has no heart, and no love for baseball.
And he still would be an improvement over the many guys who will be taking turns trying to be the Marlins Closer this season.
Whew! The Padres dodg(er)ed that punch…
$30 mil in salary last year between Chapman and Britton. To put that in perspective there are only 6 teams in 2023 that have more than $30 mil allocated to their bullpen.
You can buy championships…..you just have to be smart with your purchases. This is why it’s been 1 for 22 despite spending a fortune.
Where was Arizona on this I mean damn we gave Ian Kennedy like 4.5 mil last year. Maybe off the field stuff kept them away?
Chapman knows by going to KC, if he can pitch decently, he will be on a contender at the deadline. He will be tuning up for a contender for 3 months.
Chapman really showed how much he cared about playing for a contender last year.
When he would give up those gopher balls in the playoffs and then grin about it like some psycho, really made me not like the guy (on top of everything else.) Maybe he was playing up the bad guy role, making it his persona. Not sure where his mental status was during all this , never heard him interviewed. Strange duck; not my kinda duck.
I’m excited about this. He’s still got the stuff but developed a fear of throwing his fastball. Its between his ears. Here’s to a change of scenery. That being said though; I do think he’s gonna look right funny in KC Pajamas.
Come on Kim! Bring Bauer to the Marlins baby! We believe!!!!
Bauer most likely in Japan or Mexico, don’t think anyone really wants a scumbag on their team!
He will 100% be on someones roster by opening day. I can think of at least 5 GMs who lost their morality a long time ago who would sign him up. Also – Kim is the only female GM in the league, so she could sign him and get away with it without much negative publicity.
@chemo
why not all gms? some of them just blindly shoot deals to players. No big deal. Everybody tries that at least once, right?
I appreciate good sarcastic zings when they are good, but man…every time I think I’ve read the dumbest thing I can ever read someone else tops it. I hope to god you’re 12 years old because some of the stuff you’re spewing doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. And this comment is painstakingly dumb
what doesnt make sense? logic or research? Fire a 9mm at concrete and see how far it penetrates it as he didnt shoot at his garage door.. Unless you were personally there and saw a 9th shot that was not recorded anywhere.
oh and unless that wall is a a few blocks thick he couldnt have shot near her through the wall as she wasnt even in the house during the gun shots. She left with her brother after the shoving and arguing per her statement to the police. I guess she could have lied to them and committed perjury but im going under the assumption she is not.
but any 10 year old can spend 2 mins on the internet and look up credible sources and get the actual fact. But i guess i can make up stuff too and claim its as fact and make it look worse that it actually is. Which i think even you corrected your statement a couple times already.
Is he a genius… far from it … but if you are going to put something out there and say “attempted murder” atleast have your facts straight.
Noice! Should be good to save an additional 20 games for them.
Odd move for the Royals. I thought they were targeting guys with low walk percentage.
Washed!!
Why the Hell not? If you’re going to sign Chapman with all of his dirty laundry, why not make a league minimum offer to Trevor Bauer.
Signing Bauer puts the Royals immediately atop the AL Central. I can forsee preseason prognosticators and Vegas Odds makers as the team with the best chance to win the Central.
A simple $74,500 investment unlocks tune for to a brand new replacement Kaufman stadium.
I meant to write $745000 buys you the keys to open the gate to a new stadium in downtown Kansas City. Go ahead and let Bauer open a licensed Royals S & M Bondage themed merchandise store on the main concourse. The Royals share in the profits with Trevor Bauer and he takes the controversial questions concerning the store during press conferences, diverting the negative publicity away from the Royals. They could make an arrangement, such as this, really work.
You’d need to do a lot more than sign Bauer and Chapman to make the Royals favorites for the Central..
Dick Allen’s checkered career, and him falling short of slam-dunk HOF status, is nobody’s fault but Dick Allen’s. OTOH, there were plenty of teams willing to give him another shot, because of his immense talent.
Same situation, here.
Surprised a better team like the Cubs didn’t take a flyer at 4M. Worst case you bench him if he can’t close, best case you have a closer and if the team sucks again a trade chip. Cubs and many other teams don’t have a legit closer he’d be displacing anyway so take a chance, live a little.
Well it seems like the Marlins are going to continue to run a clown show out of the bullpen. What an incredibly shocking revelation that has never been considered
I guess him not showing up to pitch in that intersquad at playoff time cost him more than a playoff roster spot. World of been interesting if the yanks won it all how much of the winning cut he would have gotten
Scumbaig! Quit on his team after his leg tatoo got infected! Never learned how to pitch after he lost the ability to throw 100mph! Scumbaig! Go take target practice at your Old Lady Aroldisgrace! You are a Scumbaig!
@hitman23 Feel strongly about it now do you?
Yes Sir! Quitting on your team is a Cardinal Sin!
Thinking of Chapman in a Royals uniform for me feels so weird.
The Royal fans have my sympathy, I also recommend the Costco-size bottle of Chapman strength Tums.
Thing about the idea of a contender trading for him at the deadline is: They could’ve already had him if they wanted him, for cheap without even giving up any prospects. If he’d had any offers like this from a contender, he wouldn’t have signed with the Royals. (Sorry royals fans)
3.75 million plus incentives doesn’t sound cheap, because it’s way more than we all make. But in the sports world, someone with his track record, albeit not much recent luck in the past couple seasons, that’s still a cheap figure for him.
That being said, I personally don’t expect him to hit many of his incentives, unless they’re fairly low, because I personally think he’s toast overall. But given his poor character flaws that he’s shown, it’s a bad signing to me. A good veteran leader is someone who’s going to mentor youngsters and set a good example. Chapman will likely just complain when they get the call from the pen over him.
Ultimately, if he’s getting saves in the 9th or getting out of pressure spots, someone will be calling the Royals at the deadline. If not, the Royals paid nothing for him.
BaseballisLife where are you?
2.43 36 sv
It’s weird that so many teams weren’t interested. He’d be a great low cost contract who can be a great trade piece while possibly even helping the Royals stay in it in the weak AL East.
He’s simply a commodity. And an investment.
The Royals have no interest in him as a person.
I just feel for the manager and coaches that need to get some kind of worthwhile pitching out of this monster and also any players who might lose an opportunity because of his getting to pitch.
Oh well, somebody had to sign him.