The Royals took a bit of a gamble signing Aroldis Chapman last winter, but they knew that they wouldn’t even have a chance at signing the seven-time All-Star unless there was some risk involved. The 35-year old lefty was coming off his worst season, posting a 4.46 ERA and 17.5 percent walk rate with the Yankees, with a significant drop in velocity.
The Royals thought they had identified a mechanical flaw in his delivery that they could fix, so they signed him to a one-year, $3.75 million deal with up to $4 million in incentives. There were some initial reports that Chapman turned down more money to be given a chance to close in Kansas City, but he has not been given many save opportunities - the Royals have had few leads to protect, and Scott Barlow has been entrusted with the ninth on most nights.