Aroldis Chapman is 38, throws 102, and has a 0.83 ERA. He is also playing for the worst team in the American League. That is the kind of combination that gets a closer traded by August.
The Boston Red Sox went from AL East contender to last place in three months. The collapse has been historic. Chapman has been the only consistent bright spot, converting 28 straight saves and rolling through the league with the kind of dominance you do not expect from a pitcher who debuted in 2010.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports Chapman is expected to be moved before the deadline. ESPN’s Jeff Passan calls him the best player the Red Sox could realistically make available. The market for an elite closer is going to be enormous.
Chapman is the top reliever on every contender’s board. Hand him an October bullpen and watch him give a team the same kind of difference making lift that Jose Alvarado gave the Phillies. Closers do not always swing playoff series. Chapman might.
The Red Sox have a list of pieces to sell. Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all candidates to move before the deadline. Chapman is the prize. He has been so good that Boston could attach him to other contracts to fetch a stronger return.
Chapman himself is publicly committed to staying. “My mentality is to stay here and win here,” he told reporters when asked about the rumors. That is the right answer. Veterans on bad teams cannot say much else without burning bridges.
The Yankees, theoretically the most logical landing spot, are reportedly not in the market. Jon Heyman reports that the Bronx Bombers are unlikely to chase Chapman or Sonny Gray. The rivalry, plus the awkward history Chapman has with the Yankees from past stints, takes them out of the picture.
That leaves the Phillies, Dodgers, Brewers, and Mariners as the most likely fits. Philadelphia just lost Jose Alvarado for parts of the season and could use another shutdown arm. The Dodgers have a championship bullpen that could always use another weapon. Milwaukee and Seattle are both close enough to contend that adding Chapman makes them dangerous.
The Red Sox return needs to be substantial. They are not going to get a top 50 prospect for a rental closer, but they can get a top 100 prospect plus a high upside arm. That is not nothing for a team that needs to reset and figure out who its next core is going to be.
This is happening. The only question is which contender gets him.
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.
