Aroldis Chapman passed his post-season physical on October 3, and just like that, his $13 million vesting option with the Boston Red Sox for 2027 became guaranteed money — no new contract needed. The clause was already baked into his deal; he just had to earn it. He did. Per Francys Romero, it’s official.
How the Option Triggered
The road to this payday started on August 31, 2025, when Chapman signed a one-year extension worth $13.3 million for 2026, with a vesting option attached for 2027. Two conditions had to be met: pitch at least 40 innings in 2026 and pass a physical at season’s end. He cleared the innings threshold on August 15, 2026, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He cleared the physical today.
The Escalators: Up to $1M More
The base $13M could grow depending on where Chapman lands in 2026 Reliever of the Year voting — and there are two separate awards to play for:
- Win either award (BBWAA or Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year): +$1 million
- Top-3 finish: +$500,000
- 4th–5th place: +$250,000
- 6th–10th place: +$100,000
Worth noting: these are two distinct awards with separate voting bodies — the BBWAA award was reintroduced in 2026, while the Mariano Rivera Award is voted on by retired relievers — and the escalators apply to each independently. As of October 2026, Chapman was listed at +1500 odds for the Mariano Rivera Award, with Louis Varland as the frontrunner.
What He Did to Earn It
The 2026 numbers back it up. In 52 games and 50.2 innings, Chapman posted a 1.95 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 34 saves during the regular season, per MLB.com. Stack that on top of his 2025 — 1.17 ERA in 61.1 innings, 32 saves, and the AL Mariano Rivera Award — and you’re looking at one of the cleanest two-year stretches any closer has put together in recent memory.
At 38 years old, Chapman also hit milestones that don’t come around often. On September 23, 2026, against the Cleveland Guardians, he became the first pitcher used exclusively in relief to reach 1,400 career strikeouts. He finished the season at 1,402. He also closed the year with 402 career saves, making him the ninth pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark.
The Red Sox bullpen as a whole finished 2026 with a collective 2.99 ERA — the best in all of baseball. Chapman was the engine.
The Statcast Picture
The raw numbers tell one story; Statcast fills in the rest. Here’s what Chapman’s 2026 looked like from the mound:
- ERA: 1.92 · WHIP: 1.12 (53 games, 51.2 IP)
- 71 strikeouts against 23 walks — he punched out 33.3% of batters faced
- 35 saves
- xERA: 2.64
- Fastball: 97.4 mph average, 2,440 rpm spin rate
- Whiff rate: 30.4%
- Batting average against: .187
- Exit velocity allowed: 88.7 mph · Barrel rate allowed: 6.8%
How he stacks up league-wide:
- xERA: 96th percentile
- Strikeout rate: 97th percentile
- Whiff rate: 85th percentile
- Fastball velocity: 90th percentile
- Fastball spin: 87th percentile
- xwOBA against: 96th percentile
Elite across the board. At 38, with a guaranteed $13M on the table and a chance to add more, Chapman isn’t just still in the game — he’s still one of its best.
