BOSTON -- For the last two seasons, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has methodically secured much of the team’s young core, signing extensions with Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet, Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony.
On Monday morning, the Red Sox formalized Breslow’s latest extension, but this time with someone who can hardly be characterized as young in baseball circles.
In the midst of a career year in his first season with the Red Sox, power lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman signed a contract extension for 2026 which guarantees him $13.3 million and also includes a mutual vesting option for '27.
“I think when you can identify the players that you believe can be cornerstone pieces of a sustained run of success, you have to act aggressively to keep them around,” said Breslow. “And I think watching them mature and develop together is a pretty neat thing. We feel like we're getting there. There's certainly still work to do, but, it's exciting to be able to point to this core of guys and say they're going to be here for a long time.”
Given Chapman’s excellence this season, which has included not giving up a hit in his last 16 appearances dating back to July 26, he likely could have received more money if he had elected free agency in November.
“Yeah, of course you think about it,” Chapman said. “But I wanted to stay here and we started having conversations.”
An example of why Chapman was quick to secure a new contract with the Red Sox could be seen in the back of the room where his press conference was held, where several teammates and coaches sat to celebrate the moment with him.
“The chemistry that we have here is unique,” said Chapman. “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.”
Chapman will be 38 when the new contract kicks in, and has offered no signs he’s about to slow down.
It befitted Chapman that he arrived at his press conference not in a suit, but in a Red Sox t-shirt with an illustration of dumbbells.
“We can talk about what Chappy has accomplished on the field and he’s certainly having a historic season this year,” said Breslow. “While no one has been able to fully outrun aging, when you think about someone that could potentially weather it, you look at someone who keeps themselves in such good physical shape as Chappy does. I showed up this morning at 9 a.m. and he was already in the weight room.
“I think that's what you would point to when people say, ‘How has this guy been able to throw 100 miles an hour for 15 years now and just continue to have a successful season after a successful season?’ So when you think about making a bet on someone to be successful later in their career, you look at the way that they keep themselves in shape and prepare and feel pretty good about this one.”
At age 37, Chapman owns a career-low 1.00 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 54 innings. He has 28 saves in 30 opportunities for the Red Sox. The left-hander has had a resurgent season after posting a 3.79 ERA in 61 2/3 innings for the Pirates in 2024.
Chapman came to Spring Training with the goal of avoiding the control issues he’s had in the past and he’s accomplished it in a big way. Heading into Sunday, he was throwing a first-pitch strike 70.2 percent of the time, up from his previous career high of 62.5 in ‘17.
His overall strike percentage is a career high of 69.8 is also the best of his career.
“He did a few things in the offseason, too. [He] lost weight -- and not because he was fat, but because he wanted to be more agile and flexible and he was able to accomplish that,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “And the fact that he can repeat his delivery over and over and over and over again, has helped him.”
In the front row, just to Chapman’s right, sat his father, Juan Alberto Chapman Benett, who was wearing a Red Sox cap. For Chapman, it was a reminder of the journey he embarked on when he defected from Cuba in 2009.
“I'm proud for him to be here watching me play,” Chapman said. “He didn't have the opportunity to watch me play baseball much when I was in Cuba. So for him to be here and enjoying these games here, it means a lot to me, so I'm happy that he's here and we’re sharing this together.”