2025 In A Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell
A complete redemption year for the 37-year-old. One of the most dominant closers in the Majors from start to finish.
What can’t you say about Aroldis Chapman’s 2025 season? He was the absolute epitome of dominance on the bump. For how long he’s been in the league, he set career bests in ERA (1.17), WHIP (0.70) and WAR (3.5), in 67(!) games pitched. Those and a batting average against of .132 were clear leaders amongst closers in baseball. Chapman saved 32 games, tied for fifth-best in the Bigs. He set a streak of 50 batters faced without giving up a hit. That was the third-longest streak in Major League history. In terms of calendar days, it was just shy of two months. He very deservedly earned another All Star nod in his insane career. Just look at this from Mike back in August, still in the midst of the streak. The only real word I have for Chapman’s 2025 season is incredible.
The story of his turnaround is sheerly hilarious. It leaked late in the season that during Spring Training, Connor Wong called for a location for a fastball over PitchCom and THAT’S when it clicked for Aroldis that he didn’t just have to grip it and rip it; he could pinpoint locate as well as throw for velocity. It’s kind of terrifying that for so many years, he was a pitcher who was throwing as hard as anyone in history and just hoping it landed in the right places, but also just as miraculous he lasted that long doing that. Still, he needed fixing coming into 2025 and that mental adjustment made a world of difference.
Aroldis was a fantastic pitcher, but there were some trends that Avery noticed at the end of the season that concerned me.
The two primary problems were his fastballs started leaking out over the plate and his velocity dipped, becoming somewhat inconsistent game to game. He did have back spasms in July and I wonder if any concern for his back needs to be addressed in the offseason. If this were 10 years ago, it’s maybe something to chalk off a little more, but as a 37-year-old, taking care of your body is of the utmost importance. We’ll see if it becomes an issue in 2026.
What a crazy moment for the Red Sox. No one—and I mean NO ONE—expected the front office to trade Rafael Devers. Still, facing him in the top of the 9th in San Francisco in June, Aroldis Chapman blew him away en route to a save.
Look, I don’t think he can be the most insane closer in all of baseball like he was in 2025. But if he can do 75% of what he did last year, that makes a world of difference. The Red Sox have no other promising closer prospects in their system. Liam Hendricks won’t be on this team in 2026, Justin Slaten didn’t live up to expectations after his return from injury. Garrett Whitlock proved to be a much better set-up man than closer. Jordan Hicks? Forget about it. Craig Breslow rewarded Chapman with another contract plus an option alongside that because of this season—and that’s extremely contingent on his ability to replicate 2025 to some degree.
The contract Aroldis Chapman has for 2026 could frankly be his final one in the Major Leagues. A veteran of 16 Major League seasons, Father Time waits for no man—who knows when it comes for Chappy? Still, if 2025 is any indicator, the Red Sox have a rock as a closer while they try and find an heir-apparent with more longevity, whether it’s from their system or beyond.
