(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Royals do not have much going for them this season.
It has been an abysmal season for them as they own the second-worst record in baseball.
They are 43-96 and only have one more win than the Oakland Athletics on the year.
But, there are some bright spots to point out regarding their season.
One is that Bobby Witt Jr. has taken another step towards stardom.
He is closing in on a 30/30 season and continues to show his MVP potential.
But, there was one trade that shook up the future outlook of the Royals and Texas Rangers.
That was when Texas agreed to trade left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans to the Royals for Aroldis Chapman.
Ragans has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since joining KC and you can bet the Rangers are regretting the move.
According to Robbie Hyde, Ragans is first in FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and xFIP over the last month.
The Rangers gave up Cole Ragans for Aroldis Chapman. I know his numbers were bad in the minors with the Rangers, but man, this is brutal. Ragans has been cookin for over a month now. 1st in FIP and xFIP in MLB over the last month. pic.twitter.com/H1OMKhE6bL
— Robbie Hyde (@gingersnaphyde) September 4, 2023
Ragans looks like a star in the making and someone the Royals can build their pitching staff around.
On the other side, Chapman has not been great since joining the Rangers.
He has an ERA of 3.32 but has only two saves in five opportunities.
Those three blown saves are costly as the Rangers are in the midst of a tough AL West battle.
Texas currently sits one game behind both the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros for first place in the division.
Chapman must pitch better down the stretch and close out some key games for the Rangers.
That way this deal will feel a lot less lopsided in favor of the Royals.
The post Rangers May Have Already Lost The Aroldis Chapman Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.