Royals' Aroldis Chapman suffers odd mouth injury at home

Chapman signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with the Royals in late January, ending his six-plus-season run with the New York Yankees. Though Chapman made three of his seven career All-Star teams while pitching for the Yankees, the close to his tenure in the Bronx was strenuous to say the least.

After skipping a mandatory team workout in early October 2022, the southpaw was left off the team's postseason roster and issued a fine. Instead of making amends, the two sides split up later that month.

Chapman is coming off of arguably the worst season of his career. He was limited to 36 1/3 innings pitched across 43 games due to multiple injuries. Even when healthy, the former All-Star closer was inconsistent and finished the campaign with career worsts in ERA (4.46) and WHIP (1.43).

The move from one of the most pressure-packed baseball environments in New York to one of the smallest markets in Kansas City could be a win-win for both Chapman and the Royals. Though the Cuban will turn 35 on Tuesday, he could still have a couple of solid seasons left in him. He was an All-Star as recently as 2021.

Kansas City made a low-risk, high-reward move in signing Chapman on just a one-year deal, and if he shows his pre-2022 form, the 2016 World Series champion may be able to turn it into a bigger payday next offseason.