As the Boston Red Sox sought to upgrade their bullpen this winter, adding velocity was a priority. Last season, Red Sox relievers ranked 28th in average fastball velocity (92.7 mph) and 23rd in strikeout percentage (21.9 percent). With top free agent relievers Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman still on the market, the Red Sox targeted one of the hardest throwers in baseball over the last decade in Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman, who turns 37 in February, signed a one-year, $10.75 million deal in November. Part of the reason the Red Sox signed the lefty was for his high-octane fastball that averages 98.7 mph, ranking him in the top 2 percent in the league in velocity.
“I think he brings something that was sorely missed in our 2024 bullpen, the ability to generate swings and misses and an electrically dominant fastball, particularly from the left side,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said last week at the Winter Meetings. “We’re going figure out exactly what role he pitches in, but we feel he will be a huge piece of preserving leads late in game.”
The Red Sox are still in the market for more bullpen help, and may still pursue Scott or Hoffman, but bringing in Chapman on a one-year deal was seemingly an early priority for the team.
Chapman, entering his 17th year in the league, currently ranks third in the majors in saves among active leaders with 335, trailing Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel. He currently owns the two fastest pitches thrown in the Statcast era with a 105.8 mph fastball in 2010 and a 105.7 mph fastball in 2016. He’s thrown a pitch of 100 mph or faster in each of the last 15 seasons.
“I’m very happy to be here in such a historic organization, one of the biggest baseball organizations in the league, and for me, it’s a huge honor to be here,” Chapman said over Zoom on Thursday via Red Sox translator Carlos Villoria-Benetiz.
With Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten also in the Red Sox late-inning bullpen mix, Chapman will slide in as another closer option, though the club has not yet determined his role. Last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chapman began the year as a set-up man before taking over the closer’s role late in the season. He posted a 3.79 ERA and 3.04 FIP over 61 2/3 innings in 68 appearances with 14 saves. Chapman maintained a high strikeout rate with a 37.1 percent clip. For context, Jansen led Red Sox relievers with a 28.4 percent K-rate last season. Conversely, Chapman has struggled with command in his career. His 14.4 percent walk rate in 2024 was his lowest in a full season since 2019.
“I don’t have any problem pitching in any kind of situation,” Chapman said. “I’ve pretty much been in every role in the bullpen, so anytime they need me, I’ll be ready to pitch.”
On the field, signing Chapman bolsters the Red Sox bullpen, which also saw the addition of reliever Justin Wilson earlier this offseason.
However, signing Chapman also raised several questions due to his conduct off the field.
At the start of the 2016 season, Chapman was suspended 30 games for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy. Chapman had been arrested, though not charged, after allegedly choking his girlfriend and firing a gun in the garage of his Florida home following an argument.
On his call with reporters on Thursday, Chapman was asked about the work he’s done since the suspension and how much the suspension was discussed prior to signing with the Red Sox.
“Obviously it was a difficult process, but after the suspension, I went to therapy,” Chapman said. “I went to see a doctor that I’m still friends with right now. We still talk. It was a long process, but at the same time, that helped me to be a better person. That helped me to be a better teammate, a better person in the community. Regarding the Red Sox, I think they did do their due diligence. They talked to a lot of people to ensure that everything was in the past and for me, it’s good to be here.”
Last week at the Winter Meetings, Breslow was forthright about his pursuit of Chapman, knowing the implications of the signing.
“It is a decision that we took incredibly seriously and our background and reference-checking was extensive,” Breslow said. “This is a guy who has been in good standing across five organizations for the last eight years. And in no way does that diminish the severity of what happened. But we talked to former teammates, coaches, officials, executives.
“I talked, individually, to a number of people within the organization to get a sense of who the person was that we were getting. And the feeling was overwhelmingly positive about Aroldis as a teammate, as a positive influence on other players in the clubhouse, particularly the younger Latin players. This is a guy with an incredible work ethic. Ultimately, we were comfortable with the decision to move forward. But, again, I want to reiterate that does not ignore what happened and we will continue to take these on a case-by-case basis. We felt like we had run this extensive process and collected as much information as we possibly could.”
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
