Why was Aroldis Chapman traded to Rangers? Former Royals relief pitcher sent to American League contenders

Flamethrower Aroldis Chapman has been acquired in a trade by the Texas Rangers. Texas got Chapman, and the Kansas City Royals received Cole Ragans and outfield prospect Roni Cabrera in return.

The Rangers have certainly upgraded their bullpen with this move since Chapman has been pitching well this year. In 31 appearances this season, Chapman has compiled a 2.45 ERA with 53 strikeouts so far.

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It was a no-brainer move for the Royals as well, who don't have much hope of a turnaround this season. They are currently one of the worst teams in the league, with a 23-58 record. With Aroldis Chapman in the final year of his contract, getting some value for him will likely help the team down the road.

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The Rangers already have an established closer in Will Smith. Chapman will likely be used as a set-up man in the seventh or eighth innings. It will be tough for opposing hitters to score runs against the Rangers late in games.

Acquiring Aroldis Chapman is huge for the Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have lived up to the hype they built over the offseason. They sit first in the American League West with a 49-32 record. Moreover, they hold a five-game lead over the Houston Astros.

Texas has remained strong despite losing ace pitcher Jacob deGrom. The team announced on June 6th that deGrom would be done for the remainder of the season as he has Tommy John surgery. Pitchers like Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney have been more than impressive with deGrom out.

The emergence of Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen makes this pitching staff scary. Opposing hitters aren't going to have an easy time scoring runs against the Rangers. Whether it's their starters or bullpen, this team has elite talent and is on a mission.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom