Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman contract won't fix what ails Boston's bullpen
The Boston Red Sox added a big arm to their bullpen on Tuesday, as lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman agreed to a one-year, $10.75 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
While Chapman is a solid addition to Boston's bullpen, he's not going to fix their problems at the end of games.
Chapman, 37, remains one of the hardest throwers in baseball. His fastball averaged 97.8 miles per hour and his sinker averaged 99.8 miles per hour. He carried a 37 percent strikeout rate last season, and picked up 14 saves in 68 appearances for the Pirates last year.
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On paper, that sounds like closer material, right? Not so fast. It's become increasingly clear in recent years that Chapman isn't closer material anymore. Why? A combination of factors, but mostly this: teams are starting to hit him more and more, and Chapman's control remains a persistent problem. He had a walk rate of 14.7 percent last season, and his ERA ballooned to 3.79 in Pittsburgh last year.
He hasn't been used as a closer in either of his last two seasons, which he spent with the Royals, Rangers, and Pirates. None of those teams had world-class bullpens where an arm like Chapman's wouldn't get a shot at closing games, and it's clear that he shouldn't be trusted in the ninth inning at this point.
The Red Sox have some other options at the back of the bullpen; Liam Hendriks could fill the role, but it's not clear how he'll look after Tommy John surgery. Justin Slaten could also close games, but he's still young and could suffer from a sophomore slump.
On top of that, Boston's infield defense was incredibly shaky last year; the idea of Chapman putting more players on base, and more balls in play with the Red Sox's infield defense behind him should make fans VERY nervous.
The Red Sox need a closer, and have needed one for several years now. Chapman is a solid bullpen piece, and could work in spots as a closer, but the last couple of seasons have shown that he's most effective as something approaching more of a seventh-inning guy than a ninth-inning guy. He might help fix the problem, but Boston needs to find someone who they can count on to slam the door in high leverage spots, and Chapman can't be counted on to do that anymore.
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