Brandon Glick

Ever since the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Munetaka Murakami has been the Japanese player MLB teams have been waiting for. Sure, Yoshinobu Yamamoto arrived to the states 2024 with the largest-ever contract for a pitcher in hand and Roki Sasaki followed suit by choosing the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter, but Murakami was the one with 56-homer power. At just 25 years old, the "Babe Ruth of Higo" is finally a free agent; DiamondCentric projects him to earn $92 million over four years, or $23 million per season before accounting for his posting fee. Most other prognosticators figure him a lock for a nine-figure deal. The issue with Murakami isn't that his upside is limited. On the contrary, he may be one of the most prolifically-talented baseball in the world. The problem is that, for as towering as his ceiling is, his floor may stoop even lower. That 2022 season was truly legendary, as he won the Central League Triple Crown while hitting .318 with 134 RBIs. He's hit 246 home runs in 892 career games in NPB, good for a 162-game pace of 44.67. There's no denying those numbers, nor the potential they invite. But there's also no denying that Murakami has struck out nearly 29% of the time over the last three seasons combined, nor can one hide the fact that he simply cannot hit high-velocity fastballs. As you may know, MLB pitchers tend to throw harder than their counterparts in the NPB; Murakami's swing-and-miss issues are more likely to be exacerbated, not fixed, upon his arrival to the states. Contrast that with Kazuma Okamoto, who possesses similar power (he averaged 33.1 home runs per year from 2018-24) but far fewer projectability concerns (he ran equal 11.3% walk and strikeout rates in 2025). Yes, Okamoto is four years older than Murakami, and like his compatriot, is unlikely to have the defensive skills to stick at third base over the long term. Luckily, the Red Sox have an opening at first base as well, where the 29-year-old NPB star should thrive. Okamoto's contact skills have only improved with age, and he topped out at an 80.4% contact rate (total percentage of contact made when swinging at all pitches) in 2025. Though an elbow injury limited to just 69 games, he still hit .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs and a 210 wRC+. He's simply a safer bet than his fellow Japanese slugger, especially when you consider he actually thrives against velocity. The Red Sox, along with the Blue Jays and... Pirates(?) have been named as some of the most aggressive suitors in the Okamoto sweepstakes. His right-handed power would fit nicely into Alex Bregman's vacated spot in the middle of the lineup, particularly if Boston wants to run a L-R-L-R-L gauntlet at the top of the order with Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, Okamoto, and Wilyer Abreu. The Winter Meetings should reveal a lot more into both stars' markets (as well as Tatsuya Imai's free agency venture), given that their posting deadlines expire on Dec. 22 (Murakami) and Jan. 4 (Okamoto), respectively. Expect the Red Sox to be in on both players, but when push comes to shove, it should surprise no one when they chose the elder slugger over his revered counterpart. View full article

This is an excellent observation, and exactly why I called the Mariners out by name in this section (as opposed to, say, the Royals, who very clearly have needs in the outfield). The buzz in Mariner Land is they don't want Robles as anything more than a 4th outfielder. He was awful in 2025 and really hasn't been productive in the big leagues outside of that 2024 Linsanity run (and the 2019 season). Raley has never been much more than a utility corner infielder/outfielder, and his bat fell off a cliff in 2025 (91 wRC+). Canzone is the wild card; if the Mariners are willing to trust him with that third spot next to Arozarena and Rodriguez, that could take them out of the outfield market. However, Arozarena is a free agent after 2026. And they need to resupply some power to the lineup after losing Suarez & Polanco. I'm sure they'd love a star third baseman (Alex Bregman?), but they need to be cost-conscious considering their payroll is already near last year's record high (for them). They could very easily trade for a Duran/Abreu to fill that right field hole while having them around long-ish term to help backfill for Arozarena's absence. And I think you're off the mark with the Castillo comment. George Kirby could easily be expendable after a relatively mediocre season, especially if they want to give Logan Evans or Emerson Hancock more MLB run.

The 2025 Winter Meetings are nearly upon us! The annual four-day event begins officially on December 8 in Orlando, Flordia, though most teams will begin arriving by Sunday, Dec. 7. There's a lot that tends to go down at the Meetings every year, so let's break down the schedule, and the biggest rumors and noise surrounding the Boston Red Sox heading into the offseason's biggest event. NOTE: The Red Sox completed their Jhostynxon Garcia trade with the Pirates shortly before this article was set to publish. Red Sox's Offseason Thus Far The big move Boston has made was the acquisition of Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 36-year-old right-hander should be a perfect fit in the middle of Alex Cora' rotation alongside Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello. Otherwise, the team has focused on protecting prospects and preparing the 40-man roster for a busy offseason. Some notable non-tenders (Nathaniel Lowe) and minor trades (Luke Heyman, Ronny Hernandez) clog up the team's transaction log, but for the most part, this is still largely the same roster the team had when the 2025 season ended. The Red Sox's notable free agents include Alex Bregman, Lucas Giolito, and Steven Matz. In terms of previous Winter Meetings, the Sox brought in both Chris Sale (2016) and Crochet (2024) at the event in past years. This is perhaps the single-best chance to make a trade on the league calendar thanks to the proximity of every major front office executive, though Boston may focus on free agents this time around after trading for Gray. 2025 Winter Meeting Schedule Location: Orlando, FL December 8 marks the first official day of the meetings, and it should be a busy one. There's already been a number of notable moves made this offseason, from the Dylan Cease signing to the New York Mets and Texas Rangers' blockbuster trade involving Marcus Semien and Brandon Nimmo. The big expectation is that at least two of the big three Japanese stars (Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, and Tatsuya Imai) will sign at the Meetings, as their posting windows will close within the next month and change. December 9 will be when the league's annual MLB Draft Lottery takes place, though by virtue of making the playoffs in 2025, the Red Sox won't find themselves in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. December 10 will feature the Rule 5 Draft, in which teams can selected unprotected prospects from other organizations. In order to keep drafted players, teams must keep them on the active 26-man roster (or the 60-day IL) throughout the remainder of the following season; otherwise, the prospects' original team can take them back. In terms of recent Rule 5 picks, the Red Sox have a few members of their bullpen (Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock) who stand out as excellent selections. The Winter Meetings will officially end on December 11, though most teams will depart from Orlando before the finish line is crossed. Still, the groundwork laid in Florida will lead to a cascade of signings and trades through the New Year. Red Sox Winter Meetings Rumor Roundup Sonny Gray won't be the only starting pitching addition. This is something we've believed since the moment the Gray trade was made, but at this point, it seems to be a lock. The Red Sox made sure the Cardinals ate a bunch of salary so they could maintain flexibility throughout the remainder of the offseason, be it via more trades or a blockbuster free agent or two. My money is still on Freddy Peralta, but Tatsuya Imai remains a very popular name that continues to pop up in rumors. I also wouldn't be stunned if the team finally leverages its outfield depth to swing a trade with Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners, who have seemingly soured on Victor Robles in right field. Will Sonny Gray be extended? From what I've seen, this topic hasn't come up much, but it is a pressing matter. Gray, 36, is a free agent after the 2026 season, assuming his $30 million mutual option is declined in favor of a $10 million buyout. With the 2027 lockout looming, Gray would be wise to secure one last big contract, though I don't expect the Red Sox to be the ones to pay it. Gray was acquired as a true one-year rental, and I'd imagine Craig Breslow has every intention of maintaining some payroll and roster flexibility for next offseason. Are the Red Sox prioritizing a reliever? Aroldis Chapman was utterly brilliant in 2025, and set-up man Garrett Whitlock wasn't far behind. Yet, Chapman is 37 and had a long run of mediocrity before his maiden campaign in Boston, and Whitlock can become a free agent next year if the team declines his option. Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise that the Red Sox have been poking around the bullpen market in free agency. And I'm not talking about a small play like a reunion with Steven Matz — I mean that there's real smoke on the reliever fire, whether it be a more cost-effective option like Pete Fairbanks or a true upper-echelon closer like Edwin Diaz. I'm under the impression the latter will only happen if the team swings and misses on all of its primary starting pitcher targets, but pairing Chapman and Whitlock up with another elite leverage arm could shorten a lot of games in 2026. What on earth is happening at first base? Truthfully, I don't know, and I'm not sure anyone does. Triston Casas has more fans than detractors in the organization, but you simply can't rely on him to stay healthy at this point. I'm pretty sure the Sox don't want Murakami -- his strikeout issues are a real concern for MLB teams -- and Okamoto is probably going to exit their "comfortable" price range. Power is a necessity, so someone like Luis Arraez is off the table as a reclamation project. This truly might be a spot where a trade has to happen, unless the Red Sox completely pull a 180 on their modus operandi and sign an aging Pete Alonso to a long-term contract. View full article

Well, we knew the Boston Red Sox had to deal from their outfield coffers eventually. This isn't exactly the blockbuster deal most had in mind, but it certainly qualifies as the team's second major trade of the offseason. The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and 18-year-old pitcher Jesus Travieso in exchange for major-league starter Johan Oviedo and a pair of prospects, pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman. Oviedo has a career 4.24 ERA in 361 innings, though he only made nine starts in 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In order to make room on the 40-man roster for both Oviedo and Samaniego, the Red Sox designated pitcher Cooper Criswell for assignment. Talk Sox will have a full breakdown of all the moving parts of this deal shortly, but the TLDR on each prospect: Jesus Travieso is a teenager who signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2024. He looked good in his first taste of stateside ball in 2025, pitching to a 3.06 ERA and 3.15 FIP between the Complex League and Single-A. He's got great stuff (31.8% strikeout rate) but lacks control and is very unpolished. A high-upside lottery ticket for the Pirates to develop. Tyler Samaniego is a pitcher who has stalled at Double-A but was just protected from the Rule 5 Draft by the Pirates. He's 26 and no longer a true prospect, but he struck out 27.8% of hitters while walking only 7.0% this past season. There's a legitimate MLB relief arm in his profile if the Red Sox can help him induce fewer fly balls. Adonys Guzman was a fifth-round pick in this year's draft out of the University of Arizona. He slashed .328/.411/.496 in his final season in college and could move quickly up the ranks if he can hit like that while sticking at catcher. As for the big pieces involved, Garcia is a tough loss to swallow. Affectionately known as "The Password", the 22-year-old slugger had simply become superfluous in a loaded outfield in Boston. With Kristian Campbell also making the switch from the dirt to the grass, there just wasn't any room for Garcia. The Pirates, who ranked dead-last in MLB in home runs this past season (by a country mile) will benefit greatly from his presence. He hit .267/.340/.470 with 21 home runs and a 116 wRC+ in the minors in 2025. He was even better in 2024, hitting 23 bombs and producing a ridiculous 149 wRC+. He is an excellent get for Pittsburgh, who took advantage of the Red Sox's roster glut. Oviedo is the prize returning to Boston, and he's a fascinating piece to add to the puzzle. It was just months ago that the Pirates were touting him as a "big part of their future"; did something happen to where they soured on him? I would guess not, and instead just chalk this up to them dealing from a place of strength (starting pitching) to get some help at an area of weakness (competent hitting). Standing at an intimidating 6'6" and 275 pounds, Oviedo brings a lot of downhill force with him off the mound. At 27 years old and with two years of team control remaining, he currently resembles the favorite to handle the No. 4 spot in Alex Cora's rotation, as currently constructed. He pitched to a 3.57 ERA in his return from TJ surgery this past season, though his xERA (4.19) and FIP (4.92) were not as optimistic about his comeback. He's got good fastball velocity when healthy, though that's been rare throughout his career — Oviedo has only completed 65+ innings in a season once, back in 2023 (when he threw 177 2/3). He's got a five-pitch arsenal, though his movement profiles tend to overlap. You can be sure Andrew Bailey is just waiting to get his hands on Oviedo's mix to help him tunnel and differentiate better. As things stand, this feels like yet another set-up move following the Sonny Gray trade. Oviedo has a lot of upside, but little in the way of a floor. With the Winter Meetings on the horizon, don't be surprised if the Red Sox add a third starting pitcher, and one who is better than both of their most recent additions. View full article

Following their acquisition of Sonny Gray, it hasn't been difficult to imagine the Boston Red Sox doubling-down and adding another premier starter to their rotation this offseason. The 2026 campaign represents the final one prior to (what many expect to be) a long lockout that could put the 2027 season in jeopardy. There's real, tangible value in operating under economic certainty, even if only for one year. Trading for Gray -- and requiring the St. Louis Cardinals to pick up half of his remaining salary -- was the start of going all-in on next year, not the end of it. That being said, where exactly the Red Sox turn after Gray depends on your perspective. I made it clear that I believe Gray to be the No. 2 starter this team has been searching for since last year's Winter Meetings. Others have made it clear they do not share that opinion. Depending on which side of the ledger you fall on, you either believe the Red Sox need another depth option to fill in one of the primary jobs behind Brayan Bello, or that they need a true co-ace for Garrett Crochet. As a Gray truther, I'll cross the line on my own party and stand with those wanting another frontline addition. Gray is a true one-year rental at 36 years old, and it could behoove Boston's front office to find a longer-term partner for Crochet. One could make the case that Bello may still yet grow into that role, or perhaps one of the team's many exciting young arms (Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kyson Witherspoon, etc.) could leap others on the depth chart. But that's an idea best harbored for a post-lockout world; in the here and now, there needs to be another upper-echelon starter in Beantown by Opening Day. I'm not here to tell you who that may be. I maintain my belief that Freddy Peralta is the quintessential Red Sox trade target, though perhaps trading valuable prospect capital for two rental starters in the same offseason isn't the best way of doing business. What I am here to do is explain why, despite my (overzealous) belief in Gray, I think this team should be focusing exclusively on front-of-the-rotation arms. It helps that there's already so much depth in place. Tolle and Early really should be given the first crack at the No. 5 gig in spring training, and it helps that fellow high-upside arms Kyle Harrison and Luis Perales are already on the 40-man roster. That also doesn't include a trio of players with past MLB success that should be returning from injury at some point in 2026: Patrick Sandoval, Tanner Houck, and Hunter Dobbins. Those seven alone should easily be able to cover whatever innings are open following Crochet, Gray, and Bello, but even that group fails to mention the best of the bunch: Kutter Crawford. I'll slow my own roll for a second and clarify that by "best", I don't mean "most talented" or "possessing the most impressive track record." Instead, I simply mean that, of the octet of options laid out in the previous paragraph, I find it most likely that Crawford will be able to hold onto a rotation spot throughout the duration of next season. Of course, that will require Crawford to overcome his bizarre wrist injury that he suffered while moving furniture in the confines of his own home. He was on track to return from patellar tendinopathy in his right knee at some point after the trade deadline, and yet, the usually-reliable starter missed the entire campaign after undergoing surgery on his throwing wrist in July. As far as freak accidents go, that's certainly one of the them. I'd hardly call Crawford -- who made 56 starts between 2023-24 -- injury-prone, and I'd wager a guess that the braintrust in Boston feels the same way. If we can suppose that Crawford will return to his pre-injury form, the Red Sox should be able to add another starter to the end-of-the-rotation mix, and a damn good one at that. Though he's never been particularly elite at any one thing, the 29-year-old right-hander is dependable. He tossed 183 2/3 innings when he was last on the mound in 2024, firing off a 3.85 xERA and 4.65 FIP that just about perfectly bisected his 4.36 ERA. He struck out over 23% of hitters while walking just 6.7%, though his primary blemish was allowing 34 home runs in 33 starts. He was much better in Fenway Park, surrendering a .296 wOBA at home compared to a .314 mark on the road. He also allowed eight fewer home runs despite facing 81 additional batters in Boston. That checks out when digging deeper — batters only went to the opposite field against Crawford 24.4% of the time in 2024, which makes it difficult for lefty hitters to attack the Green Monster. That's not a matter of luck, either. It's wrought on by conscious decisions made with his repertoire, highlighted by a pair of fastballs and a solid sweeper. Image courtesy of Baseball Savant As we know, the Red Sox love pitchers who can toss a big horizontal sweeper, and Crawford fits that mold. It was his best offering to righties last time he was healthy, and it yielded a .214 xBA and .295 xwOBA overall across 522 offerings in 2024, to go along with a tidy 26.3% whiff rate. In conjunction with that earlier note on the righty being better at home, most will note that Crawford worked reverse splits in his breakout campaign. Left-handed hitters slashed just .207/.272/.402 (.293 wOBA) against him, compared to a .240/.296/.436 (.316 wOBA) slash line for righties. A lot of that has to do with his excellent splitter and knuckle curveball, pitches that yielded batting averages below the Mendoza Line. Crawford tended to reserve those offerings for late in the counts against left-handed batters, seeing as both pitches generated put-away rates above 24%. Simply put, this is an arsenal that works in harmony. The raw "stuff" isn't necessarily elite, but there's a lot of synergy between each offering and when Crawford likes to throw them. There's genuine variance in the movement profiles of each pitch, and the same is true for their respective velocities. Hitters may be able to hit him hard when they guess right, but that's a one-in-five proposition when every pitch is working. If healthy, we already know Crawford can handle the workload. It helps that he also has a big-league caliber fastball in his aptly-named cutter, which produced a .216 batting average against and 26.5% whiff rate in 2024. With so much pressure being put on the front of the rotation to produce in 2026, it shouldn't be a surprise if Crawford settles right back into his home as one of the league's most-dependable backend starters next season. View full article

The Boston Red Sox's trade for Sonny Gray reinforced the rotation without breaking the bank, giving the team multiple paths to improving more throughout the winter. View full video

It's that time of year again! Talk Sox invites you to discuss your favorite players and moments from the 2025 Boston Red Sox season! View full video

Well, at long last, the Boston Red Sox have their No. 2 starting pitcher. Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals is heading to Beantown as part of yet another blockbuster trade in this early part of the 2025-26 MLB offseason. Gray, 36, is reworking his contract as part of this deal. He'll receive $31 million for 2026 and a $10 million buyout on a mutual option in 2027. The Cardinals are sending $20 million as part of the trade, meaning the Red Sox will get him for the equivalent of $21 million over one season. The return for Gray is reportedly major-league pitcher Richard Fitts and top pitching prospect Brandon Clarke. Before getting into Gray, let's acknowledge that Clarke is a legitimate prospect. However, I can confirm that people within the organization had significant concerns about his reliever risk after the 22-year-old ran into stamina and command issues in his professional debut in 2025. Though he possesses brilliant stuff, Clarke worked an 18.1% walk rate in 28 1/3 innings in High-A this past season; his ceiling may be that of an elite reliever, which simply isn't as valuable as a top-tier starting prospect. Plus, the Red Sox already have a number of players that fit that archetype that leapt Clarke on the depth chart this year, including first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon, Payton Tolle, and Connelly Early. He was expendable, even if he's only scratched the surface of his talent. As for Fitts, the 25-year-old is a pure reclamation project for the Cardinals. He struggled badly in his 45.0 major-league innings this year (5.00 ERA, 5.80 FIP) and ended the season on the injured list with right arm neuritis. He no longer had a place on the 40-man roster among a loaded group of backend starters like Hunter Dobbins, Kutter Crawford, and Patrick Sandoval. That's a notable return for a 36-year-old pitcher on an expensive one-year contract, but with the Cardinals paying down roughly half of it, this is absolutely a trade the Red Sox could afford to make. Chaim Bloom knows this system well, and only losing one notable prospect at a position of extreme organizational depth for a legitimate No. 2 pitcher is a solid bit of pre-Thanksgiving work by Craig Breslow and company. And let's make something clear: Gray is a "legitimate No. 2" starting pitcher. He may be removed from his 2023 peak when he led the league in FIP (2.83) and finished second in AL Cy Young voting with the Minnesota Twins, but he still led the Senior Circuit in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.29) and handled more than 180 innings for the second time in three years. Gray has run an xERA below 4.00 in every single season since 2019, a feat he's matched in both FIP and xFIP. He's a metrics darling despite modest strikeout numbers throughout his career, though he's improved upon even that recently, ringing up 30.3% of hitters in 2024 and 26.7% of hitters in 2025. Though he's started to allow harder contact as he gets older, he's maintained elite chase, whiff, and walk rates without fail. Notably, the right-handed comes equipped with a seven-pitch arsenal that's highlighted by a devastating sweeper that yielded a 42.3% whiff rate in 2025; he and Garrett Crochet were two of just five pitchers to surpass that mark with their sweepers last season (min. 400 pitches). He only averaged 92.0 mph on his fastballs, but that's just one tick down from his peak velocity in 2018-20. This is a guy who knows how to pitch to major-league hitters. Expect more of the same from Gray as he gets a chance to work in Andrew Bailey's pitching lab in 2026. From here, the Red Sox can move their offseason in a bunch of different directions. They could pursue another starter with the Cardinals eating so much money, or they can prioritize bullpen depth and infield help. Either way, starting the winter off with such a savvy move puts them well in front of the pack prior to the Winter Meetings. View full article

NOTE: This is a work of satire. Nothing "reported" here is factual, other than what is linked. Please enjoy. Savannah, GA — Ahead of the Banana Ball Championship League's inaugural 60-game season in 2026, the first-ever Banana Ball Player Draft was held earlier this week. As most industry experts and Banana Peelers (i.e., MLB insiders but for the BBCL) expected, the Indianapolis Clowns selected World Series champion and former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. first overall. Despite being a shoo-in for the top draft spot, sources say that the Clowns' pick wasn't without some internal controversy. The Red Sox, seeking an eighth MLB-caliber outfielder to complete their "double-logjam", apparently were willing to go to extreme lengths to bring Bradley back to Fenway Park. "I won't go into the specifics, but we were close," Red Sox's president of baseball operations Craig Breslow said about his trade negotiations with the Clowns' front office. "They drove a hard bargain. Contrary to what their name says, negotiating with that team is no joke." Of course, in Major League Baseball, draft picks beyond those awarded in Competitive Balance Rounds cannot be traded. However, according to a Generative AI program trained exclusively on Keeping Up with the Kardashians episodes, that same stipulation doesn't apply to MLB teams trying to trade with Banana Ball teams. "Sure, whatever. I didn't punish the Astros after they cheated in 2017. You think I'm going to stop Brez from trading Roman Anthony for [2024 Banana Ball MVP] DR Meadows?" MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said when asked about the legality of the attempted blockbuster. As far as Bradley is concerned, he's happy the Clowns held onto the pick and drafted him, making him the first-ever former MLB player to join the league full time. He originally made a cameo appearance in the league for the Savannah Bananas, alongside fellow Red sox alumnus Johnny Damon, back in July. "I feel like this was another opportunity to not only the league, but to be able to help the people behind me to ... hopefully, catapult other African American ballplayers to want to play the game," Bradley told ESPN. Originally an exhibition team in the Negro Leagues, the Clowns have a rich history that includes employing Hank Aaron and various professional women ballplayers, such as Toni Stone and Connie Morgan. They went defunct in 1989 after an initial 64-year run, but, with the blessing of Bob Kendrick (president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum), they will return to the diamond once more in 2026 as part of the Banana Ball Championship League's first full-fledged season. Bradley, of course, is a Boston icon. He was an All-Star in 2016 and a Gold Glove winner in 2018, the latter season proving to be the high-water mark for his tenure in Beantown. That year, the team won the World Series, and Bradley played postseason hero in the ALCS. At the time of publishing, the veracity of reports detailing the trade packages offered for the first overall pick cannot be confirmed. However, Talk Sox can exclusively report that the Red Sox were willing to include Payton Tolle and the rights to Steve Pearce's World Series MVP Award in various offers. View full article

Simply had to share this. Just an incredible baseball story. Banana Ball is gonna need a Platinum Glove award. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46958195/savannah-bananas-indianapolis-clowns-jackie-bradley-jr-drafted

The Boston Red Sox are gearing up for a lucrative offseason, though they must decide whether to make their blockbuster moves via free agency or trade. Will they re-sign Alex Bregman, and will they pursue Munetaka Murakami? View full video

Aroldis Chapman is a historically good relief pitcher who delivered a historically good campaign in 2025, even relative to his own standards. So, even if he weren't a 37-year-old reliant on his four-seam fastball, there'd be reason to worry about potential regression for the Boston Red Sox's closer, especially considering he had recorded a 3.68 ERA in the three years prior to his legendary maiden campaign in Beantown. He was so good this past season that the front office saw it fit to give him an extension before the year even came to an end. It's a one-year deal that offers a slight raise over his $10 million salary in 2025, and it also comes with a $13 million vesting option if he throws enough innings in 2026. It's hardly a long-term commitment, but it is one that suggests the front office is content to continue rolling Chapman out there in the ninth. And, let's acknowledge something here: Nothing in Chapman's body of work in Boston necessarily suggests a drop-off is imminent. His expected ERA (2.09) was nearly a full run worse than his actual mark (1.17) and still ranked in the 100th percentile across the league. His fastball velocity, despite being a few ticks down from its peak, still averaged nearly 99 mph as opposing batters hit just .159 against it; his sinker was even better, producing a .115 batting average against while brushing up against triple digits on the radar gun. Tie it all together with elite chase (34.6%) and whiff rates (35.8%), and you have the profile of one of the best relievers in baseball. I'm not coming armed with any information to suggest that Red Sox fans should expect Chapman to revert back to his 2022-24 form. Instead, I'm merely here to remind everyone that said version of Chapman existed, and that, prior to 2025, it had been five seasons since the fireballing southpaw displayed anywhere close to this level of dominance. Set to turn 38 before Opening Day in 2026, the franchise can hope to rely on their closer once again, but planning on it may be more of a fool's errand. For some recent examples, the last two relievers to finish top-five in Cy Young voting (a feat Chapman should accomplish this year) were Emmanuel Clase (2024) and Zack Britton (2016). Clase followed up his historically dominant 2024 campaign with a 3.23 ERA in 47 1/3 innings this season (and may be permanently banned from the league for gambling); Britton's ERA jumped from 0.54 to 2.89 and he missed time with forearm and lower body issues. Now, Chapman hopefully won't caught in some illegal pitch-throwing scheme, but those two relievers were a decade younger than the Red Sox's closer at the times of their peak. Even though Clase's 2025 season (pre-suspension) and Britton's 2017 season were solid enough, they hardly approximated the dominance they showed just a year prior. Luckily, Chapman has always been better in the ninth inning — his career ERA in the final frame (2.33) is significantly lower than his work in the eighth (2.82) or seventh innings (4.56) — and barring injury, there isn't much need to acquire another closer. That's especially true since breakout set-up man Garrett Whitlock remains under contract for 2026, as is the case for Justin Slaten, who secured three saves in 2025 and has closing experience in the minor leagues. If track record is something you fancy (and you can look past significant struggles in the recent past), Jordan Hicks has 35 saves on his major league résumé. He's far less of a sure thing than Chapman, but he's the only one in the bullpen (and one of few arms in the league) who can approximate the lefty's velocity. Instead, the team needs to focus on bringing in a couple of high-leverage relief arms who can help bridge the gap to Chapman, or, if needed, fill in should injury arise. That is definitively not the class of reliever that players like Edwin Diaz or even Devin Williams fit in, but someone like Brad Keller (who just experienced a career resurgence in Chicago under Craig Breslow's old bosses) or Raisel Iglesias (who had a 1.25 ERA from mid-June until the end of the season) could insulate the late-inning group and help ensure Whitlock doesn't have to pitch 70+ innings again. If the budget is really tight, Gregory Soto brings big velocity from the left side like Chapman, and Emilio Pagán just locked down 32 saves for a playoff team. Those are older veterans with bigger flaws in their game than the elite relievers on the high-end side of the market, but the same was true for Chapman last year, and look how that worked out. It's not necessarily advisable to build your bullpen with a cache of arms with heavily mileage seeking to reclaim the glory days, but the Red Sox don't need a bullpen as good as the Padres or the Brewers. The rotation, with one more significant addition, is strong enough to carry the team for stretches, and the offense could be really good if Roman Anthony is healthy for a full season. This is simply about hedging your bets. Boston ranked second in the league in bullpen ERA (3.41) in 2025 and backed that up with top-five finishes in xERA (3.76, fifth) and FIP (3.69, fourth). Chapman did a lot of that heavy lifting — he and Whitlock combined for more than 70% of the team's reliever fWAR this past season — and at his age and with his recent, pre-2025 track record, banking on a repeat performance could prove perilous, even if the advanced metrics wholeheartedly support an encore. Insofar as your focus extends only to the 2026 season, the Red Sox should be fine in the backend of their bullpen thanks to the presence of Chapman. But, if doubt lingers in your mind about a 38-year-old who throws 100 miles per hour, perhaps you too think the team should be wary about entrusting so much of their success in one man. View full article

Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu won Gold Gloves this week, further proving that Boston is brewing something special in the outfield. View full video