Aroldis

Chapman

Chapman gave up a sacrifice fly to Orlando Arcia, but it still left Atlanta down 4-2. It didn’t change the outcome of the game, but it did hurt his ERA, which climbed to 3.87. It’s the third save of the year for Chapman, and he’ll likely see the bulk of chance with David Bednar on the injured list with a strained oblique.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday during a local radio interview that he hopes the injury is minor. The 29-year-old stopper was unavailable during Saturday’s game against the Rays due to left side tightness and is going to get some extra time off to rest and recover. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days. It’ll presumably be Aroldis Chapman handling the closing duties for Pittsburgh during his absence.

It’s just the second save of the season for Chapman. The 36-year-old southpaw allowed an RBI double to Yandy Diaz, but it came with the Pirates holding a two-run cushion. Chapman isn’t likely to see many save chances as long as he’s behind David Bednar.

The 36-year-old will serve the suspension tonight during the Pirates’ series opener against the Red Sox. Chapman was tossed in the eighth inning during Monday’s game against the Mets after he had an altercation with the home plate umpire.

Chapman, who has also received an undisclosed fine, has the ability to appeal the league-issued two-game suspension. The 36-year-old lefty reliever was tossed from the eighth inning of Monday’s showdown against the Mets after recording just one out and allowing three runs.

Bednar could not find the curve today and actually plunked two batters while throwing it six times. He also issued a leadoff walk. The three basehits against him were all pretty soft — one would have been the routinest of outs if the infield hadn’t been drawn in — but he dug his own grave with the free baserunners. This is already Bednar’s third blown save, though the first two were one-run games and still ended up as wins for the Pirates. In fact, he had come into this one with a 6/0 K/BB and just three hits allowed in four innings. So, we’re not too worried about Bednar for the long haul. Still, the Pirates might want to give him a little break from closing and try to find a consistent routine for him for a couple of weeks after he missed most of the spring with a lat injury. If so, Aroldis Chapman would become the favorite for saves.

Chapman was way off today; his third fastball came in at just 92.5 mph and several others were below 95 mph. He did throw one pitch 99.2 mph to his fourth and final batter, but that was the only pitch over 97 mph from a guy who averaged 100 mph last year. Chapman’s velocity had been down some this spring anyway, but not like this. It’s not a huge deal in fantasy leagues, since Chapman is just a setup man right now, but the Pirates have to be concerned.

It’s pretty stunning to see the Pirates spend that kind of money on a setup man, but Chapman was pretty excellent last year, posting his best strikeout rate in a full season since 2018 and showing his highest velocity since 2017. He’ll likely mostly work the eighth for Pittsburgh, but he’ll get the occasional save chance.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that the deal will be for $10.5 million guaranteed. The 35-year-old southpaw posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 103/36 K/BB ratio over 58 1/3 innings between the Royals and Rangers during the 2023 campaign. As far as his fantasy value goes though, the Pirates aren’t a great landing spot as they already have David Bednar entrenched in the closer’s role. Chapman should be able to pile up strikeouts and he’ll nab the occasional save chance, but don’t expect him to usurp the ninth inning from Bednar.

Martino points out at that the Mets have reached out to Chapman but acknowledges that the veteran is likely a longshot given that he has no chance to close in New York with Edwin Diaz in town. Martino also points out that “the Mets have spoken to the representatives to just about every available reliever, and still have money to spend in that area, if they see a fit.” At this point, it seems clear that the Mets will sign a reliever, but it still not clear exactly who that will be.