When the Red Sox signed Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal this past winter, they did so believing he could fortify the back of the bullpen and potentially compete for the closer job with Liam Hendriks.
He’s done all of that and more.
Chapman is in the midst of a career season at age 37, turning back the clock to re-establish himself as one of baseball’s most dominant closers. The left-hander recently earned his eighth All-Star nod — his first since 2021 — and entered Sunday with 26 saves, a 1.04 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 52 innings.
He’s also earned praise from top Red Sox officials for his leadership in the clubhouse, and late Saturday night news broke that the club would be rewarding him with a contract extension that will keep the closer in Boston through next season and possibly 2027 as well.
That deal hadn’t been made official as of first pitch Sunday, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed excitement that Chapman will be sticking around.
“I think the guy has been great for us,” Cora said. “Not only on the field, what he’s done on the field has been amazing, but as you guys see, in the clubhouse and the way he prepares. He’s been great.”
Prior to his arrival in Boston Chapman had bounced around the league, pitching for three teams in two seasons between 2023-24. While he’s remained among the most overpowering pitchers in league history, he’s also consistently struggled with his command, boasting a career walk rate of 12.3% with four straight seasons over 14%.
For context, the MLB average is 8.3%.
This year, however, Chapman has locked in his command to an unprecedented degree. His 7.3% walk rate is half his total from last year (14.7%), which has played a major role in his sustained dominance.
Cora pointed to a moment early in spring training where the switch seemed to flip.
“I think he walked two or three and something clicked as far as command. After the game he talked to Jason (Varitek) and the group where that’s the first time a catcher has called a fastball in, usually it was fastball and he just throws it right down the middle and lets it play, and there was intent behind that pitch,” Cora said. “I don’t know if he got it in but it was in the zone and he kept pounding the zone in that outing and he’s been doing that since that game.”
Cora credited Chapman for a couple of other adjustments that have paid off this season. He said the closer lost weight in the offseason, not because he was out of shape but to become more agile and flexible, which has enabled him to repeat his delivery more easily.
He’s also mixing in his splitter and slider more effectively, and the team has made a point to keep him fresh. To this point Chapman has only pitched three straight days once, and he’s also only had one outing of four outs or more.
Behind the scenes Cora says Chapman has taken his fellow relievers under his wing and even made some suggestions to the coaching staff that have helped improve the club’s pre-game preparation. All told he said having Chapman has been a luxury and he’s glad he’ll be sticking around.
“He’s very quiet, you see him in the clubhouse, but he knows the game, he’s been through a lot and I know in that bullpen his voice, it means something,” Cora said. “Quietly and in his own way he’s one of the leaders of this team.”
