The Kansas City Royals have traded left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers in exchange for two valuable prospects, the team announced Friday.
Chapman, 35, has a 2.45 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 31 appearances with the Royals in 2023, according to Baseball Reference statistics. He was left off the New York Yankees’ postseason roster last season after posting a 4.46 ERA in 43 games.
We have traded LHP Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers in exchange for LHP Cole Ragans and OF Roni Cabrera.
Ragans, a 40-man roster player, has been optioned to Omaha (AAA) and Cabrera has been assigned to the Royals Dominican Summer League team.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) June 30, 2023
The Rangers gave up Cole Ragans, a first round pick in 2016 who has pitched 24.1 innings this season, per Baseball Reference. Mostly pitching out of the Texas bullpen, Ragans projects as a future starter and “figures to slot into the Royals’ rotation at some point this season,” according to MLB.com.
Texas also sent the Royals minor-league outfielder Roni Cabrera, a 17 year old Dominican prospect who “has a pretty big ceiling,” said MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian.
An instant #MLBTonight reaction to the news of Aroldis Chapman being traded to the Texas Rangers! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/DfUu8KnVeP
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 30, 2023
The 1st place Rangers will cover less than two million dollars left on his contract, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Texas is leading the AL West with a 49-32 record, compared to a 68-94 record in the 2022 season.(RELATED: The Athletic Angry Because Texas Rangers Don’t Have Pride Night, Even Though 29 Of 30 MLB Teams Already Do)
The Rangers spent over $500 million in free agency in the 2021-2022 offseason and signed pitchers Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi last offseason. The Royals are in the middle of a full rebuild, holding the league’s 7th lowest payroll, according to Spotrac.com