Aroldis Chapman has been better than even the wildest dreams of Boston Red Sox fans could’ve foretold throughout this season, well outplaying the $10.75 million contract he’s on for his first season inside Fenway Park. But Craig Breslow made sure on Saturday that this won’t be the only year that fans get to see No. 44 staring down another strikeout victim, as Chapman is now set to return in 2026 and possibly in 2027 as well after agreeing to an extension.

As first reported by Francys Romero and later confirmed by Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Chapman and the Red Sox have agreed to a $13 million extension for the 2026 season in a deal that also includes a mutual option for 2027.

With a young bullpen emerging around Chapman, locking him into the closer role for at least next season puts the Red Sox in a massively enticing position in the AL East and even the American League as a whole. They have a closer performing like the best in the game locked in with Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, who’ve all also already been extended, and one of the best young cores in baseball.

And if Breslow can do as almost every Red Sox fan wishes in keeping Alex Bregman in Boston, the Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles should recognize that the division might be running through Fenway Park through the foreseeable future.

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Red Sox start to take control of AL East with Aroldis Chapman extension

Though two head-scratching recent losses to the Pirates have been tough to watch, the fact of the matter is that the Red Sox are already a threat in the division and the league as a whole. With the way the top of the rotation has performed — and now with the addition of Payton Tolle — and the upside of this offense, even without Rafael Devers, the 3.5 games separating them and the division-leading Jays doesn’t seem insurmountable. And they’re surely good enough to beat anyone in the AL in a postseason series.

When you start to forecast this out, though, there’s a real chance that the Red Sox are just now starting their real power grab, especially if inking Bregman to be in Boston long term comes to fruition.

As good as Anthony is, he’s just 21 years old and figures to only become more of a star. The rest of the outfield of Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu will get shaken up, but will still leave top-tier pieces and likely have one of them being moved for another high-end piece. Bregman would solidify third base, Trevor Story likely remains at shortstop, Marcelo Mayer will return healthy, Kristian Campbell could return to the majors and to form, Carlos Narvaez has been a revelation behind the dish, and the 1-2 punch of Crochet and Bello features two guys with sub-3.00 ERAs already.

When you then start to the look at the rest of the division, that looks more than formidable. Yes, the Yankees have Aaron Judge and the Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. When you start to look at the pieces around them, though, that could start to fall apart a bit. How many more seasons like this does Giancarlo Stanton still have in the tank? Will Cody Bellinger even be back in New York? And turning to Toronto, Bo Bichette’s future is in doubt, as is that of the rotation.

Baltimore would qualify as perhaps the most real threat given the influx of young talent they’ve brought about in recent years. At the same time, only newcomer Samuel Basallo is locked into an extension, and the questions about the rotation remain as relevant as ever — not to mention, they also look unlikely to be fixed in one offseason, which is when the Red Sox could really hit their stride.

Not only are the Red Sox positioned well, they likely aren’t done

After extending Chapman, as mentioned, the move every fan is clamoring for is to extend Bregman, or at least re-sign him if he opts out this offseason. Beyond that, however, there’s the simple fact that the Red Sox still have the room to make even more moves going forward.

Remember the failed Joe Ryan swap at the trade deadline? Well, it’s not unreasonable to think the Red Sox circle back to those conversations with Minnesota this offseason, not unlike what they did with the White Sox and Crochet this past offseason, and add another stud to the rotation. Then there’s also to the potential to upgrade the lineup further with an impact bat beyond Bregman as well.

All this is to say, the Red Sox and owner John Henry have been awoken from their long slumber since Breslow arrived, on the precipice of ending a playoff drought that’s lasted since 2021 this season, but seeming like they aren’t planning on stopping there. Yes, the Yankees are going to still spend and the Blue Jays are going to try their damnedest too as well.

But if you’re a Boston fan, you have to like the way the chips are falling right now and the way the front office is operating overall, with the Chapman deal being the latest example of that.