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The Red Sox were known to be searching for a late-inning, lefty reliever. It appears they got their man.
The Red Sox have reached an agreement with veteran southpaw Aroldis Chapman. It will be a one-year, $10.75 million deal, per Jeff Passan. Chris Cotillo was first to report the sides were close.
The longtime closer spent 2024 with the Pirates, initially serving as the setup man for David Bednar. But by the final few months of the season, Chapman became the team's game-ender, finishing with 14 saves (his most since 2021).
Chapman, who will be 37 years old on Opening Day, finished last season with a 3.79 ERA and 3.04 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), with hitters managing just a .636 OPS against him. The southpaw's splits against righties and lefties in 2024 were relatively the same, allowing left-handed batters a batting average of .211 with right-handers hitting .194.
For his 15-year career, Chapman hasn't allowed an OPS-against of better than .678.
Chapman still remains one of the game's hardest throwers, with his fastball averaging 99.8 mph last season, maxing out at 104.7 mph. In recent years he has integrated his split-finger fastball more, with hitters managing just a .125 batting average off the pitch in 2024.