According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, there is roughly a 90% chance the Boston Red Sox will trade Aroldis Chapman ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
In a recent article, the MLB insider said that "teams will climb over each other" to acquire Chapman, largely because he's a legitimately elite closer (even at 38 years old), and teams are always interested in acquiring good relievers.
While there is suddenly a real debate about whether the Red Sox should be buyers or sellers at this year's deadline (they're 42-48 and have struggled for most of the season, but they have won 11 of their last 14 games and are just three games back for the third and final AL Wild Card spot), this decision should be pretty easy: they absolutely need to trade Chapman this year.
Red Sox can get a King's ransom for Aroldis Chapman
Chapman has mostly been dominant in his two seasons in Boston, and it's easy to see why so many teams reportedly have interest in him. At this point, it's fair to assume that the Red Sox can entertain a bidding war for the soon-to-be eight-time All-Star and get some real assets in return to help their long-term outlook.
Boston has a lot of areas of improvement (i.e., impactful power bats, an actual starting catcher - assuming Carlos Narvaez doesn't find his rhythm at the plate), and trading Chapman to address some of those could be their best move.
The Red Sox have a lot of good trade candidates, but the two-time World Series champion likely ranks at the top. And if the team can get a good return for him, then it would make sense for them to make a deal happen.
Aroldis Chapman has also struggled recently
Plus, while the Cuban native has been excellent during his Red Sox tenure, he has struggled a bit in recent games.
In seven appearances since Jun. 18, Chapman has a 9.00 ERA and has given up 12 hits, three walks, and recorded just seven strikeouts in six innings. He also blew two saves during that stretch.
Is this a sign of regression or just a bad streak? Only time will tell. But Chapman is finally looking human once again, and if the Red Sox are looking to optimize their outlook, then trading him sooner rather than later could make sense, especially since they have a guy like Garrett Whitlock, who can slide into the closer role in his absence.
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