Aroldis Chapman has 17 saves, a 0.46 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP in 20 appearances. He is also about to be traded.
The Red Sox are expected to be one of the most active sellers at the August 3 trade deadline. Boston is struggling. The team is well out of the AL East race. And Chapman is the kind of veteran closer every contender wants at the back end of a bullpen in October. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported this week that Chapman is expected to join his eighth different team. The destinations are already being mapped.
The first thing to know is that Chapman is having a career year at 38. He has converted 28 consecutive save opportunities dating back to last season. That is one shy of his career record. His fastball is still touching the upper 90s. His splitter has been the best pitch in his arsenal for two straight seasons. He looks like the elite closer he was in his late 20s.
The Red Sox extended him for 2026 in the offseason. That was supposed to be a signal that Boston was building something. Five weeks into the season, the team had fallen apart, and the front office started shifting toward selling. Chapman is the most valuable trade chip on the roster.
The Yankees are an interesting destination because of the history. Chapman pitched for New York from 2016 to 2022. He won a World Series there. The Yankees bullpen has been a mess all year. The team needs a real closer. But the Yankees and the Red Sox almost never trade with each other. It would be one of the more shocking transactions in recent baseball history if it actually happened.
The Phillies are the team that makes the most sense. Philadelphia is contending. The bullpen has been the weak spot for two years. Bryce Harper is going to want the front office to add at the deadline. Chapman would be the kind of late inning addition that turns a good bullpen into a championship caliber group. Dave Dombrowski has the prospect capital and the willingness to pay it.
The Dodgers are circling because the Dodgers are always circling. Los Angeles wants to add high end relievers every July. Andrew Friedman has the prospect depth to outbid almost anyone. The challenge is whether the Dodgers are willing to spend on multiple top of the market trade targets when Skubal is also on their list.
The Braves want a closer because Atlanta has been working with a committee approach for a few years and that group has been inconsistent. Chapman would lock down the ninth inning and let Brian Snitker manage his higher leverage spots in the seventh and eighth differently. The Braves have been quiet on the trade market this summer, but Alex Anthopoulos always gets active near the deadline.
The Astros, Mariners, and Rays are also being mentioned in trade rumor pieces. None of them are a great fit. Houston already has Josh Hader. Seattle is more focused on adding starting pitching. The Rays do not pay closer money.
The Phillies are the favorites. The Dodgers are the second choice. Everything else is noise.
Chapman’s reaction to all this has been the right one. He has been honest about the trade rumors when asked. He has not let it affect his work on the mound. He is a veteran who understands the business and knows that elite closers on bad teams always end up moving. He is going to be in a contender’s bullpen by August 4.
The bigger question for the Red Sox is whether they extract enough value to set up the next contending window. Boston needs to nail this trade. Chapman is the most valuable arm they have to deal. The return has to matter.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
