Aroldis Chapman signs with Red Sox; Pirates' Hadi Raad leaves for Giants front office job

Andrew Destin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 3, 2024

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PITTSBURGH — Albeit mercurial at times, one of the Pirates' most reliable relievers last season is headed elsewhere. A league source confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that 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 over 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.

Chapman, though, was able to provide some stability in the second half. Now, for a price just a bit higher than the one-year, $10.5 million deal he signed last year with the Pirates, Chapman will seek to shore up the Red Sox bullpen.

Raad to San Francisco

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 that the Pirates' 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. The Athletic was the first to report Raad's departure for San Francisco.

Raad got his start in professional baseball as an intern with the Yankees after playing at Division III Wheaton College in Massachusetts. He eventually made his way to Miami, spending three full seasons with the Marlins before making the move to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Raad served as the Marlins director of professional scouting for three seasons and held that role when the club traded right-hander Yimi Garcia to the Houston Astros for outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and right-hander Austin Pruitt in July 2021.

Nearly three years later to that date, Raad was part of the group — alongside general manager Ben Cherington and others — that helped bring De La Cruz to the Pirates in exchange for a couple of prospects in right-hander Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester prior to MLB's trade deadline.

For a team with postseason aspirations, De La Cruz did not live up to his billing in Pittsburgh. Across 44 games with the Pirates, the slugging outfielder hit just .200 with three home runs, 17 RBIs and two stolen bases. On Nov. 22, the Pirates non-tendered De La Cruz, and he in turn became a free agent.

Not only will the Pirates seek to adequately replace De La Cruz this offseason, but the franchise will also have to figure out how it plans to address Raad's departure.