Amidst the widespread struggles of a Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen that has now handed away back to back games, Aroldis Chapman stands in a uniquely difficuly position.

Has be been the worst reliever for the Pirates? No, probably not. Has he been the best? Definitely not.

However, he is both the most experienced and the highest paid reliever in said bullpen. Not only that, he is the highest paid player on the team overall.

So when the man the Pirates invested $10.5 million in currently sits with an 0-3 record and a 4.41 ERA through 16.1 innings pitched, naturally some of the ire for the team’s, and in particular the bullpen’s struggles, are aimed his way.

The Chapman signing was weird from the start. At the time of the signing, Chapman was seen as a luxury addition to what was projected to be the team’s strength in 2024.

Chapman was coming off a season split between the Kansas City and Texas. He went 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings with the Royals before they traded him at the end of June to the Rangers.

In Texas, he ironically pitched worse on a much better Rangers team. There, he went 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 29.0 innings pitched in the regular season, before Texas went on to win the World Series.

Chapman was an extremely experienced arm who still did have the power. Command was a bit of a concern, but in the early days of the season he shut down those worries in a hurry.