March 6, 2024

Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman will pitch for his fourth different team in a three-year span as the hard-throwing lefty agreed to a one-year deal with the Pirates this offseason. Chapman enters the 2024 campaign as the clear backup closer to David Bednar, who led the National League with 39 saves in 2023. Chapman can still be effective in spurts, his 41.4% K-rate led all pitchers last season as he whiffed a whopping 103 batters across 58.1 innings. That's the good, the bad part of Chapman's game is a hefty spike in walk rate as he dished out 5.5 BB/9 last season. Chapman's 14.5% BB-rate was among the worst in the league and lack of control led to some ugly individual performances and an elevated 1.25 WHIP. Despite the bad outings, Chapman proved last season he could thrive in a non-closing role as he pitched key innings for the Rangers en route to a world title. He can still whiff batters with the best in the game as evidenced by his eye-popping 17.5% swinging-strike rate and 36.3% called-plus-swinging strike rate. He'll rack up plenty of strikeouts as the primary setup man to Bednar, making Chapman a solid option in leagues that value holds. However, it's hard to envision the 36-year-old Chapman making a significant contribution in most fantasy leagues, provided the two-time All-Star Bednar is healthy.--Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller