The Boston Red Sox have officially named 37-year-old Aroldis Chapman their closer to begin the 2025 season. The flamethrowing left-hander, long known for his triple-digit velocity and occasional bouts with control issues, is set to anchor the back end of a revamped pitching staff poised to contend in a competitive AL East. But some questions remain after comments made by Red Sox manager Alex Cora when he announced the decision.
“I think Chappy has been amazing,” Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne Tuesday. “But if [Rangers’] Corey Seager leads off the eighth, he could be used in the eighth. And there’s certain times he’s gonna pitch the eighth, but most [often], he’ll pitch the ninth inning.”
The Cuban-born Chapman broke into the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. After departing the Reds following the 2015 season, he spent the bulk of his career with the New York Yankees across two separate stints, while also making stops with the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and most recently, the Pittsburgh Pirates. He served a 30-game suspension at the beginning of the 2016 season following an incident where his 22-year-old girlfriend alleged that he’d choked her.
On Tuesday, Cora confirmed two additional bullpen arms—right-handers Zack Kelly and Greg Weissert—will break camp with the team, joining Chapman, Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, Liam Hendriks, and veteran lefty Justin Wilson as the core relievers on the Opening Day roster.
Hendriks offers a lot of MLB experience in the closer role and could handle ninth-inning duties when and if Chapman is used earlier in high-leverage situations. Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock are also expected to see occasional save opportunities depending on matchups and availability.
Righty Cooper Criswell and lefty Brennan Bernardino have emerged as the leading choices to fill Boston’s final bullpen spot.
The 2024 Boston Red Sox bullpen was a glaring weakness for the club, plagued by inconsistency, injuries, and a lack of defined roles. Boston finished near the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA and blown saves, frequently unraveling in late innings and putting added pressure on a young, often overworked starting rotation. The team struggled to find any sustained reliability, constantly switching between middle relievers. Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski were shuffled between roles, further muddying the picture.
Without a clear bridge to the ninth and few dependable options in leverage spots, manager Alex Cora was left piecing together games with limited resources. Chapman’s signing was the first free agent acquisition of the team’s offseason, followed soon after by the pickup of another lefty in Justin Wilson. The team also added a new bullpen coach, Chris Holt, to work with pitching coach Andrew Bailey. Holt has spent the previous five seasons in Baltimore as their director of pitching and pitching coach.
Comments
Red Sox Name 2025 Closer —But Questions Linger