The farther the Boston Red Sox get from their late-April firing of Alex Cora and six other coaches on his staff, the farther they fall into the loss column. If they don't go on a winning run soon, a trade deadline sale seems inevitable.
Aroldis Chapman is rightfully expected to be Boston's most coveted trade candidate after he revitalized his career with the Sox. He's posted a 1.08 ERA, 374 ERA+, 1.75 FIP and 0.771 WHIP over 83 innings across his two seasons in Boston. He's racked up 114 strikeouts to just 24 walks and 46 saves.
Any team in need of ninth-inning help would undoubtedly love Chapman in their 'pen. The San Diego Padres have already expressed interest in him, but he could also reunite with the Pittsburgh Pirates as they prepare to fight for their first playoff berth since 2015. One thing's for sure: Chapman certainly isn't returning to the New York Yankees (subscription required).
Chapman's contract structure only makes him more valuable to potential deadline suitors. While the arrangement could also keep him in Boston for another year if it decides to hold onto him, it should trade him to make the most of his value.
Chapman has a mutual option on his contract for next season, with some conditions. Mutual options are rarely exercised, so that alone doesn't move the needle much.
Aroldis Chapman's contract structure gives the Red Sox a great reason to trade him before the deadline
But Chapman's mutual option vests if he pitches more than 40 innings this season and passes an end of year physical. He would then be tendered a $13 million contract for 2027, which matches his 2026 salary with the Sox.
After this disaster of a season, the Red Sox can hardly justify paying that much for a closer next season. Offense is clearly Boston's biggest need and freeing up Chapman's money will give it a chance to swing a trade for another big bat or sign one off the free agent market.
Chapman has only pitched 21.1 innings with the Red Sox this year so he's well-rested for a team that might need to use him more often. With a new team, he'd hit the necessary 40 innings pitched to trigger the option in his contract that would keep him under team control for another year.
Red Sox fans saw last season what a weapon a prime Chapman can be in a contender's bullpen. But Boston's pitching does a top-tier job of limiting runs that, if it had anything close to a capable offense, it wouldn't need an elite closer. The Red Sox can get better value for Chapman because he could be more than just a rental candidate, and they should take advantage while they can.
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