5 Rangers Leaving Texas in the New Year
By Joe Summers
2. Aroldis Chapman - RP
Chapman is a pending free agent and it seems likely that the Rangers would have already brought him back if they planned to.
The flame-throwing closer came over in a trade with the Royals for starting pitcher Cole Ragans, who promptly turned into one of the best starters in baseball. That makes the trade sting a bit, but Chapman still helped the Rangers win a World Series, so fans can't be too upset.
“Ellos van a hacer lo de ellos y yo voy a hacer lo mío. Yo voy a tratar de sacar out y ellos a tratar de batear. Pero normal no hay rivalidad ni nada de eso”.
— Swing Completo LLC (@SwingCompletoBB) December 26, 2023
Aroldis Chapman sobre enfrentar a otros cubanos en MLB 👏👏🇨🇺#SwingCompleto
pic.twitter.com/D5N3J5gCkj
He finished with a 2-3 record and 3.72 ERA in a Rangers uniform, notching 50 strikeouts in just 29 innings.
Filling his shoes will be a tall task, though it wouldn't make a ton of sense to bring Chapman back given his age. He'll likely command a relatively high salary, giving the Rangers more of a reason to look elsewhere to fill out the bullpen.
Should the market grow cold on Chapman, it wouldn't stun me to see him return. For now though, I anticipate seeing him leave Texas over the coming weeks.