Why the Pirates Signing of Aroldis Chapman Was Necessary
If someone were to suggest that the Pittsburgh Pirates made the most surprising move of the entire MLB offseason by bringing in Aroldis Chapman, it would be very difficult to argue.
On January 22nd, the Bucs agreed to sign the seven-time All-Star. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported it as a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. MLB reporter Francys Romero first mentioned that Chapman had passed his physical on Tuesday, which the team announced on Wednesday.
For the Pirates, the $10.5 million to Chapman is now the most guaranteed money they have ever handed out to a free agent reliever. It shatters the previous team record, which was $3,250,000 given to Octavio Dotel in 2010.
Chapman began last season with the Kansas City Royals, before being dealt to the Texas Rangers around the trade deadline. Combined with both clubs, he had a 3.09 ERA, along with a 2.52 FIP, and a batting average against of .175. Among MLB relievers, Chapman recorded the second highest K/9 at 15.9. Only Felix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles had a higher figure (16.2).
Here is a breakdown of Chapman’s pitching metrics from last season:
The chart on Chapman is what you would expect from “The Cuban Missile” during his prime years. Tons of soft contact, with a plethora of swing and miss action. While the control numbers were erratic, his ability to rack up a large amount of strikeouts really supersedes the free passes.
Chapman’s velocity was back to its old form in 2023, as his four-seam fastball averaged 99.1 mph, and his slider at 88.1 mph. The 35-year-old lefty also incorporated his sinker more at a career-high 16.6%, which clocked at 101.1 on average.
Some Pirates’ fans have viewed the Chapman signing as a negative, given his off the field issues, and perhaps more specifically, the incident with Andrew McCutchen at Great American Ballpark during the 2012 season. However, Chapman was teammates with McCutchen in 2018, when both were with the New York Yankees, and Chapman referred to McCutchen as “an excellent person”.
Up until last year, Ben Cherington had been criticized, and fairly so, for his inability to construct a good bullpen. That narrative has now taken a complete 180, with a pen consisting of arms such as David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Ryan Borucki, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Dauri Moreta. Knowing that you realistically can’t expect every reliever to click all at once, it’s a credit to the Pirates GM, for wanting to the bolster the bullpen even further, with the addition of Chapman.