Aroldis Chapman is getting a payday months before free agency.
The hard-throwing lefty reliever has agreed to a contract extension with the Red Sox for the 2026 season, journalist Francys Romero first reported.
The extension is worth $13 million for 2026 and comes with a mutual option for 2027, according to MassLive.
Chapman spent last season with the Pirates before inking a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Red Sox.
The move has worked out incredibly well for both sides, as Chapman holds a 1.04 ERA with 26 saves with 74 strikeouts in 52 innings en route to his eighth career All-Star appearance.
His otherworldly 401 ERA+ is by far the best of his career.
Even at age 37, the southpaw ranks in the 98th percentile in average fastball velocity at 98.9 mph.
On top of that, Chapman has operated with command mostly unseen in his 16-year career with a 0.67 WHIP and 2.4 walks per nine innings — both of which rank as personal bests.
The Cuba native, who spent seven seasons with the Yankees, has even surpassed the expectations the Red Sox front office had for him.
“I’m always careful to say ‘This person exceeded expectations,’ because that seems like we didn’t have high expectations. But we did have very high expectations and he’s been every bit as good or better than expected,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told MassLive earlier this week.
“And not just from what we’re seeing on the field. [When we signed Chapman], I talked about some of the other considerations that we needed to factor in — the teammate that he’s been, the impact that he’s had on some of the other guys and the rest of the bullpen. What he’s done on the field has been nothing short of incredible.”
Chapman had three All-Star appearances with the Yankees, but his Bronx tenure was rocky — particularly his last season — when he had a 4.46 ERA and missed time with a leg infection after getting a tattoo before he was left off the ALDS and ALCS rosters after he blew off a team workout.
“There were a lot of ups and downs,’’ Chapman said in June when the Red Sox took on the Yankees. “I try to think about the good moments I spent here [in New York].”
Boston sits in the second American League wild-card spot, which should give Chapman another postseason chance after he won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023.