Aroldis Chapman signs with Red Sox; Pirates' Hadi Raad leaves for Giants front office job
PITTSBURGH — A league source confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman is in agreement with the Boston Red Sox on a one-year, $10.75 million contract. ESPN and MassLive were the first to report Chapman's signing.
Chapman, 36, went 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves last season, his lone campaign in Pittsburgh. He was one of the team's few reliable options, as Pirates relievers combined to compile a 4.49 ERA last season, which ranked fourth worst in MLB.
The relievers' collective struggles ultimately led the Pirates to part ways with bullpen coach Justin Meccage, who had been with the organization for more than a decade.
Closer David Bednar lost his job in the second half and posted a 5.77 ERA on the season. Setup man Colin Holderman, meanwhile, was excellent for most of the season but endured a rotten stretch at the end of July and beginning of August in which he gave up nine earned runs across 4 1/3 innings. Simultaneously, the Pirates fell out of the postseason picture.
Less than a week after former farm director John Baker was reassigned to oversee the Pirates performance team, further shakeup to their baseball operations is in order.
A source confirmed to the Post-Gazette on Tuesday morning Hadi Raad is leaving to become the Giants' new pro scouting director. Raad, who previously worked for the Marlins, Yankees and Rangers, had been a professional evaluation team leader with the Pirates since January 2023.
