Red Sox 7-Time All-Star Says Teammate Has 'Ability' To Take Over His Current Role

There's something sacred about the closer role in Major League Baseball.

Entering the 2025 season, it wasn't clear the Boston Red Sox had a capable closer on their roster. But as it turns out, they may instead have two.

Seven-time All-Star Aroldis Chapman, who is still touching 103 miles per hour at age 37, won the job coming out of spring training. But 27-year-old Justin Slaten has been so impressive in his second season in the majors that he's given Chapman a run for his money.

Chapman is four-for-four in save opportunities and sports a 1.74 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. But Slaten is three-for-three, having gotten the chance to pitch in save situations when the opposing teams have had lefty-heavy lineups in the eighth inning for Chapman to face.

According to Chapman, who's seen it all as a closer during his career, the younger Slaten has the right stuff to be a long-term closer in this league, which would be great news for Boston if and when Chapman departs at the end of his one-year contract.

“He has the ability to do it,” Chapman said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “His command is very good. His velocity is very good as well. And I feel like every pitch he throws is very nasty.”

Slaten has a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings, but he's got a minuscule 0.60 WHIP and 1.85 FIP. He's become a fan favorite among pitching enthusiasts across social media for his nasty breaking stuff and excellent Stuff+ grades on all four of his offerings.

For his part, Slaten said closing games is on his career bucket list, though he also praised Chapman for the job that he's done so far.

“I would say it’s something that everybody aspires to,” Slaten said. “I mean, I had this journey of being a starter in the minor leagues where it’s like, ‘Oh, I want to be a starter in the big leagues.’ And then when I got moved to the bullpen, it was like, ‘OK, the pinnacle of that would be closing big leagues games.’"

However the closer split works out moving forward, it's ideal for the Red Sox for both of these pitchers to keep dominating the opposition.