Royals sign Chapman


The new regime of Royals baseball has been busy this offseason. Kansas City has made multiple signings this offseason from Jordan Lyles to Ryan Yarbrough. These signings aren't too surprising to Royals fans. Chapman to Kansas City however is a bit of a surprise after many years of seeing the power thrower dominate for the New York Yankees. The boys in blue were rumored to be interested in Chapman, and they quickly took action by signing him to a one year deal worth $3.75 million with $4 million in performance bonuses. The former Yankees hurler during his prime threw an electric fastball of 104 to 105 miles an hour; but in 2022, the left hander's velocity hit a career low of 97 miles an hour. 
According to a 2021 article from Inside The Pinstripes when talking to Chapman: "The main problem like I said is the control of my fastball, everything balances out from the fastball and you mentioned the walks and the homers and the runs,” said Chapman. “That's the main difference. The reason is the control of the fastball. When you're trying to locate and use that pitch and it's not where you want it, you run into trouble and I think that's the main cause for me now. You gotta keep working at it, you gotta find your level point again, especially with the fastball, and find myself again with that pitch. And come back and return to be the Chapman that started the season.”
Although the Chapman signing is a good baseball signing, it might not be the best for the organization. In 2016, Chapman was suspended for 30 games for domestic violence allegations. Now five years later, the left hander has been able to remain a reliable reliever for the Yankees the past few seasons. My expectations for Chapman aren't exactly high heading into the 2023 season, but they aren't low either. The 34-year old might not have the velocity he once did, but he still has the stuff to make hitters swing and miss. Although the team has made some signings this offseason, I still don't believe they are going to reach the postseason. Picollo and the Royals did make a signing that can't really hurt the team's long-term plans but only help it. The left hander has plenty of postseason experience with the Yankees and the Cubs. Chapman owns a 2.40 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 35 appearances. The hurler's 2023 season could draw trade interest in July as teams look for bullpen arms for the postseason. However, the signing could be a disaster for the Royals. Mentioned earlier in the article, Chapman saw his velocity drop, that isn't too surprising for a 34-year old pitcher, if he can still get swings and misses with the Royals this season, they could flip him at the trade deadline for a few decent prospects and continue to build a farm system that will develop into a competitive ballclub in Kansas City in the near future.














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