With the pitching staff decimated by injuries, the Milwaukee Brewers could target a veteran flame-thrower to fortify the bullpen and create a nightmare late-inning trio for opposing lineups.
The Milwaukee Brewers are cruising through the first two months of the season, but there's always room for improvement.
In a world where this team's pitching staff is getting injured left and right, there's a really convincing argument to be made that Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman is a great fit for Milwaukee.
Back on June 4, ESPN's Jeff Passan included Chapman in a lengthy list of trade candidates at the deadline. Knowing how much the Brewers fleeced the Red Sox earlier in the year, one could only imagine what they could do with the 38-year-old reliever.
Is Chapman's Age An Issue?
Sure, Chapman is getting up there in age, but it's not like Milwaukee would be making a long-term investment on the 6-foot-4 reliever. Being two years shy of 40 isn't ideal, far from it, but Chapman's numbers speak for themselves.
Having been in the league since 2010, experience is something you simply can't buy. It's not like the Brewers always make super splashy moves at the deadline, far from it, but this could be one that helps change things around.
Chapman has bounced around quite a bit since his time on the New York Yankees, and joining a potential sixth team since 2022 is not the type of consistency he'd like to see. Ultimately, that's the state of the league, and it's not like he's been bouncing around so much due to an inflated ERA.
Chapman's Career ERA: 2.47
Not only is Chapman's career ERA as low as it gets, but he's given up just one earned run this year. Not often, if ever, do the Brewers ruin pitchers, so one could only imagine what Chapman would do under Chris Hook.
It's remarkable to think the veteran's only run was given up in his fifth appearance on April 4. To no surprise, that's the only game he's taken a loss in. Sure, he has an 0-1 record, but it's safe to say his 13 saves more than make up for that.
Would Chapman immediately be the Brewers closer? It's hard to say. Trevor Megill is far from perfect, but Abner Uribe has had his rough stints as well. Either way, those three together is a seventh, eighth, and ninth inning stretch that teams see in their nightmares.
Chapman has given up just four hits in his last 11.0 innings pitched. He's struck out 26 batters and walked nine, so that ratio has some work to be done, but he's averaging fewer than 15 pitches per outing and somehow keeps getting better with age.
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