After falling short of a comeback in Monday night's series-opening loss to the Angels, the Boston Red Sox struggles have continued into the early part of June. The team is an abysmal 6-16 in one-run games, and is now 4.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot.
As the next month will include crucial match-ups with AL East teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Rays, the time for Boston to turn their season around should start now. Alex Cora's job may not be as safe as he thinks it is, as the team has been underwhelming through 62 games.
With an even 100 games left on the schedule, there is still an overwhelming amount of baseball to be played, but the Red Sox cannot afford to drop games to teams in the wild card race besides them, as seen on Monday after losing to an inferior Angels team.
Red Sox fans hope the team can turn it around enough to be buyers at July's trade deadline, but the winning will need to start sooner rather than later. The team's record and involvement in the AL playoff race in late July will tell the story of which direction the franchise will go in for the remainder of the season.
The Red Sox don't look like a playoff team as it stands now, which has allowed other MLB teams to take a look at certain Red Sox players who are possible trade candidates. First, it was reported that the San Diego Padres have shown interest in trading for Jarren Duran. Now, Boston's closer Aroldis Chapman is a name to watch as the trade deadline gets closer.
Aroldis Chapman Floated as a Possible Trade Candidate at Deadline
The 37-year-old fireballer signed a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Red Sox this past offseason and was named the team's primary closer a few days before Opening Day. A two-time World Series champion over his 16-year career, Chapman has a long resume of postseason success and was brought in to help the Red Sox bullpen recover from a 4.49 ERA last season.
Now two months into the season, Chapman has been the Red Sox's most reliable reliever. With a 1.88 ERA and 9 saves in 10 opportunities, the lefty has been able to slam the door when needed. The problem comes with the relievers entering the game before Chapman, as getting to save opportunities has been a struggle for the Red Sox bullpen.
The Red Sox, now four games under .500, are suddenly entering a make-or-break part of their season. If Boston continues to fall down the standings before the deadline, Chapman will be heavily targeted among playoff teams in the trade market, given his postseason experience.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chapman is already being looked at by scouts. He's been a lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Red Sox bullpen thus far.
In a recent article in which Nightengale relayed recent news from around the MLB, he stated the Red Sox could be seeing offers for their closer throughout June and July if the team fails to make up ground in the standings.
"Scouts already are keeping an eye on Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman, who will be a hot commodity at the trade deadline if the Red Sox fall out of the AL East race." Nightengale wrote.
The Red Sox moving on from Chapman would certainly be a sign that the team is waving the white flag for this season. The team currently has a 12.6% chance to make the postseason, meaning that every game, especially games against teams in the AL East, will matter more than the Red Sox expected them to in June.
It would make sense to move Chapman if all playoff hope is lost, knowing he'll be a free agent this offseason. There are a lot of teams that could use his services, and 44 postseason appearances will certainly appeal to buyers at the trade deadline.
While the Red Sox are not out of it by any means, the next month and a half of baseball is crucial to Alex Cora and Red Sox players in terms of their job security moving forward. If the Red Sox losses continue to pile up, it'll be a month and a half filled with trade rumors and fan favorites potentially leaving Boston.