Aroldis Chapman was not the hottest reliever on the market this year. the old closer of the Yankees slammed the door in the Bronx after a difficult season, which did not help give him value in the freelance market.
But never mind, we suspected that a team would still take the chance to offer him a contract.
And it was ultimately the Royals who managed to sign him.
We are talking about a one-year contract at a salary that has nothing to do with what he was doing in his good years ($86 million over five years): $3.75 million over one year.
He also has bonuses linked to his performance and the contract is obviously conditional on his physical test, which will be passed shortly.
I like the bet. After all, if he thinks he can fight for a job as closer in a worse team before being traded at the deadline, the bet is worth it.
But for that, he must perform.
We have seen his performance decline in 2022, but if he is placed in confidence, could that help him to recover? To be continued.
