ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers didn’t wait for the July trade market to heat up.
They jumped out on the last day of June, grabbing a seemingly rejuvenated Aroldis Chapman from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-hander Cole Ragans and minor league outfielder Roni Cabrera.
Chapman, 35, has been throwing his fastball with renewed vigor this year, averaging 99.8 mph with Kansas City. He has a 2.45 ERA in 29 innings with 53 strikeouts. He has allowed just one earned run on one hit in nine innings in June. He struck out 20 in that stretch.