With just over a week until Opening Day, a clear frontrunner has emerged in the Boston Red Sox closer competition.
Veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman is the “in-house favorite” to begin the 2025 season as Boston’s closer, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam. The 37-year-old has been competing with Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten for the role in spring training.
Chapman’s performance has been as advertised so far this spring. The seven-time All-Star has racked up 10 strikeouts over 5.1 innings (six games), but his four walks suggest command remains a concern. He had 5.7 walks per nine innings last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and hasn’t had a BB/9 below 5.0 since 2020.
Still, Chapman’s pitching has looked sharper than Hendriks’ and Slaten’s over the last month. Hendriks, returning from Tommy John recovery, entered Tuesday with a 10.80 ERA over five spring appearances. Slaten has a 4.91 ERA in four games.
If Chapman falters out of the gate, the Red Sox shouldn’t hesitate to give the closer job to Hendriks or Slaten. Hendriks was an elite closer from 2019-22 and Slaten is coming off a breakout rookie season in which he notched a 2.93 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 44 appearances.
The trio will play a significant role in the club’s 2025 success. Boston’s bullpen ranked near the bottom of the league in ERA (4.39) and WHIP (1.34) last year.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has not yet made any official Opening Day roster decisions. He’ll have to finalize his 26-man roster before March 27, when the club begins its 2025 campaign on the road against the Texas Rangers.
Boston signed Chapman to a one-year, $10.75 million contract in December. Chapman has 15 years of MLB experience with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Pirates.
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