Heading into this past offseason, Kansas City looked to boost the bullpen, and they certainly did that by signing Aroldis Chapman. Kansas City signed the former all-star and flamethrower to a one year deal worth $3.75 million and $4 million in performance bonuses, and he has certainly earned every penny of the bonus. The Royals reasoning for signing Chapman was an obvious one. They hoped for a bounce back year from the former Yankees closer and then flip him at the trade deadline. And that’s exactly what happened—the team traded Chapman before July 1st. Multiple teams were mentioned as possible suitors including the Rangers, Dodgers, Reds, Mets to name a few. The Rangers were the team to pull the trigger for Chapman. What did the Royals get in return for Chapman? The team got a pair of players from Texas—outfielder Roni Cabrera and left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans. Ragans looks to be the main piece heading back to Kansas City. Ragans was a former first round selection of the Rangers in 2016. The Royals seem to be taking a bit of risk on a former top prospect, hoping he develops into a reliable arm for the Royals in the near future as a starter or a reliever. The left hander has a four pitch mix that includes a fastball, changeup, cutter, and a curveball. According to Levi Weaver, of The Athletic: "Ragans’ first outing of Cactus League play, you could be forgiven for not paying rapt attention. After all, especially this early in spring, you might be more focused on guys you didn’t get to see last year. Ragans pitched 40 innings in the big leagues last year, which is enough to get a general sense of his repertoire. But just in case you weren’t paying attention, I’ll do my best to let you experience the double-take moment in the same way I did after the Rangers’ 13-4 win over the Guardians. Asked if any of the younger players caught his attention, manager Bruce Bochy mentioned a couple of guys who had performed well, and finished with this:
“Ragans, that was impressive. He was hitting 95-96 (mph).” Kansas City seems to be comfortable with their long-term starting five in Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, Kris Bubic, and possibly Brad Keller. However it's not a guarantee that Bubic will be the same pitcher he was before the Tommy John surgery. Besides Singer and Lynch, I believe the rest of the 2018 pitching class for Kansas City still has a lot to prove if they belong in the rotation or the bullpen. With questions surrounding the rotation, Ragans could have a good opportunity to show the boys in blue that he belongs in the rotation or in the bullpen. The second player the Royals acquired from the Rangers is rookie outfielder Roni Cabrera. Cabrera signed as a minor league free agent with the Rangers in 2022. The 17-year old might not have a lot of stats in organizational baseball, but the Royals can't lose by acquiring a young outfielder that could turn out to be a helpful piece. Hopefully the trade with Texas proves to be a step forward for a rebuilding Kansas City ball club.
