After expressing early hopes to buy before the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox may finally be unsalvageable. Red Sox ownership has been getting involved in desperate trade inquiries about a right-handed bat, but it'll take more than one hitter to save this team that just hit a new low of 12 games below .500.
During a June 11 appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show," Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy gave the first indication that Boston could sell at the trade deadline. If the Red Sox do fall into selling territory, Aroldis Chapman is an obvious trade candidate.
The closer has hit his career peak with Boston in his late 30s and he could be an incredible addition to any team in need of ninth-inning help. Chapman has posted a 0.46 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 26 strikeouts, nine walks and 13 saves on 13 opportunities over 19.2 innings.
A top American League team is desperate for bullpen reinforcements and it could be interested in trading for a pitcher of Chapman's caliber. But he and the New York Yankees organization have some tumultuous history.
After a rough 2022 season with the Yankees during which he posted a 4.46 ERA, Chapman lost the closer job to Clay Holmes was left off their playoff roster. He also missed a mandatory workout before the ALDS, which Chapman alleges he was given permission to skip.
Aroldis Chapman shouldn't worry about Red Sox trading him to Yankees at the deadline
Chapman told Enrique Rojas of ESPN that he would need an apology from the Yankees organization, specifically general manager Brian Cashman, if he were traded to New York. But the veteran shouldn't be worried about such a trade.
Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office are already under fire from fans for the performance of this year's Sox team and Chapman playing into the trade rumors doesn't help fuel the team's hopes that it can buy at the deadline. Breslow has made multiple questionable trades to get to this point, but trading Chapman to Boston's archnemesis could end up being the worst trade he's ever made — Chapman is exactly what the Yankees' bullpen needs, and the Red Sox should never make their path through the playoffs easier.
The Red Sox and Yankees famously don't trade much, although that's started to change in recent years. Boston sent Alex Verdugo to New York in 2024 and landed longtime Yankees prospect Carlos Narváez the year after.
But inter-division trades at the deadline come at a premium greater than what the rest of the league would pay for an arm of Chapman's caliber. Teams are desperate to improve at the deadline and pay extra to get just the right pieces for their playoff run, but there isn't a return package in the world that would be acceptable enough for the Red Sox to help the Yankees reach their playoff goals (unless Breslow forgets what team he's running).
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