What a difference a year makes.
On the first day of September in 2024, Aroldis Chapman was toiling away on the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates en route to a below-average season with a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves in 19 appearances.
Twelve months later, Chapman was meeting with reporters at Fenway Park as one of the best closers in baseball to discuss his new contract extension with the Boston Red Sox, which will pay him $13.3 million in 2026 and includes a vesting option for 2027.
Chapman’s turnaround has been remarkable; at age 37 and in his 16th season, he boasts a 1.02 ERA with a microscopic 0.660 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 53 innings. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since July 23 and hasn’t given up a single hit in his last 15 outings.
Based on those numbers, it’s no wonder why the eight-time All-Star would want to stay in Boston after bouncing between four teams in the last three years. But Chapman also seems to be enjoying himself in the Red Sox’ clubhouse on a squad that entered Monday with a 76-62 record.
“The chemistry that we have here is unique,” Chapman told reporters Monday. “I feel like my teammates — we’re very together on and off the field. Also the coaching staff and the medical staff and the trainers made the decision easier for me wanting to stay here.”
That chemistry would be a strength of the 2025 Red Sox is also a surprise. At the beginning of July, Boston was two games below .500 and had recently traded away its franchise player, Rafael Devers, who publicly criticized the team for asking him to change positions.
All the Red Sox have done since July 1 is win 34 of their next 52 games to firmly entrench themselves as an American League Wild Card team.
Chapman has played a critical role in that turnaround. And for a player with two World Series rings, his commitment to Boston for at least the next season speaks volumes about what the Red Sox are hoping to build.
Read the full article here