"He should've been a Dodger"; "Solid move" - Fans divided as Aroldis Chapman lands fresh Red Sox deal for 2026

The Boston Red Sox signed veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman to a one-year extension on Saturday. The contract, worth $13 million, comes on the back of Chapman's resurgence from the mound this season.

Aroldis Chapman signed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $10.75 million contract in December. The two-time World Series winner has been lights out for Boston, clearing doubts over his credentials after an underwhelming season with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year.

Chapman was expected to hit free agency at the end of the season, but the Red Sox held on to the veteran All-Star closer for another season with a mutual option for 2027.

However, fans were divided with the news of Boston extending the former AL Reliever of the Year.

"Called it! Solid move by the Sox to lock him down," wrote a fan.

"NOOOO HE SHOULDVE BEEN A DODGER," wrote a fan.

"Deserved, what a season he’s having."

"They’ll be sorry."

"Now trade his ass next off season he’s built on pitching velocity once it dips he’s done."

Aroldis Chapman holds a career-best 1.04 ERA this season with 74 strikeouts in 52 innings. He has 26 saves with 0.67 WHIP and 2.4 walks per nine innings, both career-highs.

Aroldis Chapman earns high praise from Red Sox's Craig Breslow

Aroldis Chapman's dominance has elevated Boston's bullpen to new heights this year. Boston had a 4.39 ERA, ranked 24th in MLB last year, compared to an American League-best 3.41 ERA this season.

While Chapman's resurgence, at the age of 37, has surprised many, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow always had high expectations for the veteran closer.

“I’m always careful to say ‘This person exceeded expectations,’ because that seems like we didn’t have high expectations. But we did have very high expectations and he’s been every bit as good or better than expected,” Breslow said.

“And not just from what we’re seeing on the field. [When we signed Chapman], I talked about some of the other considerations that we needed to factor in — the teammate that he’s been, the impact that he’s had on some of the other guys and the rest of the bullpen. What he’s done on the field has been nothing short of incredible.”

With the race for the AL Wild Card reaching fever pitch, the Red Sox will be relying on Chapman's electric fastballs to guide the team in crunch moments.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash