The Boston Red Sox dropped some unexpected news on Saturday night, as it was revealed they were signing Aroldis Chapman to a one-year contract extension with an option for the 2027 season after his tremendous work in 2025. Before we dive into that, let's rewind a bit.
The Red Sox chief rival, the New York Yankees, were filled with joy when they heard the news that 37-year-old Aroldis Chapman had signed in Boston over the offseason. The aging flamethrower had an acrimonious divorce from the Yankees back in 2022.
The Cuban Missile posted a 4.46 ERA during his final season in the Bronx, missing time due to an infection he contracted while getting a tattoo, and was ultimately left off New York's playoff roster as a disciplinary measure for missing a mandatory team workout.
From there, it looked as if the flame-throwing lefty's career was circling the drain. He would end up in Kansas City, where he pitched to a 2.45 ERA before being dealt to the eventual World Series Champion Texas Rangers, posting a 3.72 ERA post-trade deadline in the Lone Star State. Still, that performance wasn't enough to shake the feeling that he was on the decline, and on January 31, 2024, he was forced to sign a one-year deal to play in baseball no man's land with the pitiful Pittsburgh Pirates.
This offseason, the Red Sox rolled the dice on the occasionally erratic closer, signing him to a one-year deal and watching him return to form in the early going. As the season progressed, many doubters patiently waited for the wheels to fall off, and aside from a brief injury scare, which turned out to be a false alarm, they never did.
Red Sox sign Aroldis Chapman to contract extension
Through August 30, Chapman's 1.04 ERA over 52 innings pitched leads all qualified relievers. His 2.42 BB/9 is the best mark of his career, and a far cry from the wild 6.94 mark that he put up in his final season with the Yankees. To date, Chapman's performance has been worth 2.2 fWAR, a far cry from the -0.2 fWAR he put up in 2022, and his highest mark since 2019.
Unsurprisingly, Chapman has earned a much-deserved contract extension and will remain in Boston through at least 2026, with the potential of a return in 2027 thanks to a vesting option.
Red Sox have a contract extension with Aroldis Chapman, source confirms. Covers 2026 with a vesting/mutual option.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 31, 2025
Chapman's performance at the back-end has been crucial in revitalizing Boston's bullpen, which is third in baseball in ERA at 3.38 and just over a full run lower than last year's 4.39 performance, which ranked 24th in the league.
Perhaps most importantly, Chapman's success in Boston gives them the edge over the New York Yankees, who scoffed at Boston signing their former closer. Three games remain to be played between the two clubs, with the Yankees visiting Fenway for a final September showdown from Sept. 12-14, and every time they see Chapman take the hill the Yankees will have to face the fact that the man they ran out of town three short years ago has reached new heights in Boston, and will now be around to torment them even more for the foreseeable future.