Ex-Yankees' Closer Signs With Hated Rivals

When the New York Yankees face the Boston Red Sox again in 2025, they may see a familiar face on the mound in the ninth inning.

Left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman, who pitched for the Yankees in two separate stints, signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Bronx Bombers' hated rivals on Tuesday. Red Sox beat reporter Chris Cotillo was the first to report that a deal was progressing, while he and ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported the signing. Bonuses can increase Chapman's total salary to $11 million.

Update: Red Sox and Chapman have a one-year deal, per source https://t.co/2SqkBtVJSW
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 3, 2024

Left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $10.75 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. Boston sought left-handed help for its bullpen and lands the 36-year-old Chapman. @ChrisCotillo said deal was progressing.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 3, 2024

Chapman has arguably been one of the most significant players in the Yankees' recent history, for better or worse. Nicknamed "the Cuban Missile" for his record-setting fastball velocity, the southpaw was initially acquired by the Bronx Bombers in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2016; that same year, the Yankees traded him to the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs at the deadline for a package headlined by top prospect Gleyber Torres, who went on to spend seven years with the team.

During the offseason, the Yankees reunited with Chapman on a five-year, $86 million contract that was the largest contract ever given to a reliever at the time. He went on to spend the next six years in the Bronx, accumulated 133 saves with a 3.05 ERA, 3.01 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP with 409 strikeouts. The flamethrower's tenure additionally produced three All-Star selections and the AL Reliever of the Year Award in 2019.

Despite this success, Chapman's time with the Yankees was also marked by three notorious postseason failures. In Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS against the Houston Astros, he allowed a walk-off double to Carlos Correa that put New York behind in the series 2-0; they went on to lose in seven games. In the deciding Game 5 of the 2020 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, the lefty coughed up a go-ahead home run to Mike Brosseau (who Chapman nearly hit in the head during the regular season, resulting in a three-game suspension) in the bottom of the eighth inning, ultimately ending New York's season. The most infamous moment of all, however, came in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS against the Astros, when Chapman gave up a two-run, walk-off home run to Jose Altuve that ended the Yankees' season outright and sent Houston to the World Series.

Chapman's last two seasons with the Yankees were also plagued by inconsistent play, and he ended up losing the closer job to Clay Holmes in 2022. His tenure with the Bronx Bombers officially came to an end after missing a mandatory workout before the 2022 ALDS, resulting in him being left off the team's playoff roster.

The hard-throwing southpaw would see success in 2023, as he was traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Texas Rangers at the deadline; he would help the Rangers win their first ever World Series championship, while claiming the second Fall Classic ring of his career. Chapman then spent the entire 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he still demonstrated his high velocity and strikeout prowess.

Across MLB history, 215 players have plated for both the Yankees and the Red Sox, and the rivalry between the two is widely considered to be one of the most intense in any sport around the world. Chapman will the be the latest player to experience both sides of the rivalry, and given his convoluted legacy with the Bronx Bombers, it will be interesting to see how Yankee fans react when he takes the mound against them.