Report: Red Sox Sign Aroldis Chapman to Extension

Report: Red Sox Give Aroldis Chapman Extension for 2026

Chapman is enjoying a career renaissance in his age-38 season. Although he’s always been considered a top closer, his long tenure with the New York Yankees came to an ignominious end in 2022. After that, he bounced around to a few different teams. Chapman pitched for the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers in 2023 and the Pittsburgh Pirates last season before signing a one-year deal with Boston.

And what a deal it’s been. In 57 games this season, Chapman is pitching to a 1.04 ERA and 0.673 WHIP with 74 strikeouts in 52 innings. He has 26 saves in 28 opportunities. Chapman has more saves than hits allowed this year (21). His ERA is tops among all qualified MLB relievers, and he became an All-Star for the first time since 2021.

Known for routinely reaching triple digits, Chapman is throwing harder than ever this year after a dip in his velocity in prior years. Notably, his walk rate is also down. Per Baseball Savant, he was over 14% the last two seasons, and over 17% in his last year in New York. This year, Chapman has halved it to 7.3%. Excessive walks got him into trouble in New York and elsewhere, so cutting down on his Achilles heel has worked wonders. The Red Sox will hope his newfound control will help the eight-time All-Star continue to lock down games for the rest of this season and beyond.