The Boston Red Sox have made their first serious move in MLB free agency.
The Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $10.75 million contract with left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. The completion of the deal is pending a physical, per Passan.
Chapman appeared to confirm the news Tuesday morning by posting a photo of himself in a Red Sox hat on X.
Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/MhJ64TN6Lq
— Aroldis Chapman (@AChapman_105) December 3, 2024
Boston brass insisted it would take action this offseason after missing the postseason for the third consecutive year, and it appears the team's first step is addressing the bullpen. The Red Sox also added veteran reliever Justin Wilson on Nov. 14.
Chapman, 36, posted a 3.79 ERA over 61.2 innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. The Red Sox will be his fifth team in the last four years and the seventh team he's played for over 15 years in the league.
Chapman was one of the best closers in baseball at one point with a fastball topping 100 mph. He has seven All-Star appearances and two World Series titles (2016 with the Chicago Cubs and 2023 with the Texas Rangers) on his resume.
The Cuba native hasn't posted an ERA under 3.00 since 2019, however, and comes with plenty of off-field baggage: He was suspended 30 games in 2016 for a domestic violence incident in which he allegedly choked his girlfriend and fired a weapon during their dispute.
The Red Sox reportedly are still in the running for free-agent superstar Juan Soto, so perhaps their acquisition of Chapman is the first of many dominoes to fall this winter.
