Rangers acquire Chapman from Royals
The Texas Rangers acquired veteran left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-hander Cole Ragans and outfielder Roni Cabrera, the clubs announced Friday.
Chapman signed a one-year, $3.5-million contract with the Royals in the offseason after spending the previous six seasons with the New York Yankees.
"We think he fits a need in our bullpen in terms of swing-and-miss (ability) and being able to pitch in leverage situations in the back of the bullpen," Rangers general manager Chris Young said, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. "We're thrilled to welcome him to the Rangers."
The 35-year-old is enjoying a bounce-back season. Chapman owns a 2.45 ERA with 53 strikeouts and two saves across 29 1/3 innings.
He will look to bolster a Rangers bullpen that ranks 22nd in K/9 and 24th with a 4.37 ERA.
With the Royals toiling in the basement of the AL Central, general manager J.J. Picollo feels more moves are likely to come but plans to be diligent.
"Now that you get one out of the way, you start figuring out what the next ones are," Picollo said, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. "We're open to whatever may come our way, but we have a month to work on it, and that’s plenty of time."
Ragans was the Rangers' first-round pick in 2016. The 25-year-old made 17 appearances for Texas this season, posting a 5.92 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 24 strikeouts.
Cabrera, 17, has posted a 1.075 OPS with one home run and 10 RBIs in 16 games for the Rangers' rookie affiliate.