Chapman triggers his vesting option for '27

PITTSBURGH -- While Aroldis Chapman pitched in a non-save situation on Saturday night, closing out a 4-0 win over the Pirates with a scoreless ninth inning, it was one of his most significant outings of the season for another reason.

That frame took Chapman beyond the 40-inning mark this year, which triggers the vesting option in his contract for next season. As long as the veteran left-hander passes an end-of-year physical, he will be under contract with the Red Sox for another season and make $13 million.

The vesting option was included in the contract extension that Chapman and the Red Sox agreed to last September.

“I feel good,” said Chapman. “I feel comfortable here with the relationships I’ve built here within the organization, and with my teammates, staff. It's been great. So I feel like home here.”

After coming to the Red Sox in December 2024 with relatively little fanfare after a couple of seasons with the Rangers and Pirates in which it seemed like he was in decline and possibly no longer closer material, he has regained his groove with some of the most dominant pitching of his career for Boston.

It was fitting that Chapman reached the innings he needed to reach security for next season while in Pittsburgh, because it was with the Pirates that he started to regain some confidence late in the 2024 season.

“There were a lot of rumors and comments about me coming back to Pittsburgh after that year. Unfortunately, this is a business, and that didn't end up happening,” Chapman said. “So I got the opportunity here in Boston to fight for the closer role. I was able to win that role, and then after that, I’ve just been able to do my job closing games, and I feel that's why I've been successful these past two years.”

The 38-year-old closer has been magnificent in his two seasons with Boston. After posting a 1.17 ERA over 61 1/3 innings in 2025, he owns a 1.99 ERA over 40 2/3 innings in ‘26. He is tied for sixth in MLB with 27 saves this season, giving him 394 for his career. That puts Chapman ninth on the all-time saves list.

“When I get asked questions about him, I mostly revert back to the fact this guy's preparation is so elite,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “And if there's something he doesn't do well, he's going to want to do well at it, and he's going to design something that can help him do it. He's been tremendous at that.”

Chapman’s joy for the game is evident by the sweat he pours out every day behind the scenes to keep pitching at a high level.

“That's my main focus today: Try to stay healthy, try to work on things that I need to do so I don't miss any games, or even go to the injury list,” Chapman said. “So for me, I take pride in that, because that's one of the things that I don’t want to do, so I can keep throwing and keep pitching at this stage of my career. Just stay healthy and work on the things that I need to work on to stay on the field.”