The Pittsburgh Pirates are practically out of the National League Wild Card race and have eight players under expiring contracts. Let\u2019s look at who should return and who should be allowed to walk away.<\/p>\n
Hard-throwing veteran left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman<\/a> was signed<\/a> for $10.5 million in January. After Friday\u2019s action, he was 5-5 with a 4.18 ERA, 1.446 WHIP, 22 holds, eight saves, and five blown saves. The ERA and WHIP are too high for a high-leverage reliever, but his 3.28 FIP indicates that he\u2019s not entirely to blame for his record, and although he\u2019s walked 6.3 per nine innings, he\u2019s also struck out 14.6 per nine. Based on his 15-year career, the Pirates knew \u2013 or should have known \u2013 what they were getting. Chapman goes through streaks where he blows everybody away with 100+ mph fastballs and streaks of wildness.<\/p>\n 104.7 mph pitch from Aroldis Chapman \ud83d\ude31 \ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n (via @Pirates<\/a>) \u2014 Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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