Aroldis Chapman is having perhaps the best season of his career this year and that’s really unexpected.

Chapman’s 2023 was a bounceback from his 2022 with the New York Yankees. 2022 stands alone as his only year worth negative bWAR (-0.2). After six years in New York — plus the first half of 2016 — Chapman was a free agent coming off a year with career highs in ERA (4.46) & FIP (4.57), his worst K:BB ratio (1.57) , fewer strikeouts (10.7/9), more walks (6.9).

But the Kansas City Royals, fresh off a last place finish the AL Central with a 65-97 record, gave him a chance. For the Royals, who would finish 2023 at 56-106, it was a low-risk, high reward signing. If Chapman was bad, who would care? The team was bad. If Chapman was good…well, the market for relievers could be rich. And with a l

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