The Boston Red Sox have hit a point in their season where they have to make a decision. Do you try to add talent and still make a playoff run, given you’re just 2.5 games out of the Wild Card, or do you begin to sell and rebuild with your 22-29 record?
When Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow fired manager Alex Cora, he made it clear that they still felt that the team could win this season. That move was explained as a decision to help Boston get back on track, except that hasn’t happened with Boston only winning two of the eight series they’ve played since then.
After an offseason where Breslow was heavily criticized for how he put together the roster, including letting Alex Bregman walk and failing to bring in power bats, selling would be a blow to the already embattled front office. Now, Bob Nightengale recently gave the Red Sox an “F” grade on their season through Memorial Day, recommending they, “Should sell at the deadline, offering outfielder Jarren Duran and closer Aroldis Chapman, and start over this winter.”
Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Will Garner Interest
GettyBoston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman
It’s been a long season for the Boston Red Sox, but that doesn’t mean they’re devoid of talent. After all, a year ago, this team was in the playoffs, and they did improve their pitching this past offseason. That’s going to give them some talent to move in a trade, including star closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
This season, Chapman has appeared in 18 games and recorded 12 saves. In his 17.2 innings pitched, Chapman has a 0.51 ERA and 23 strikeouts to 7 walks. He’s also yet to allow a home run.
This comes in what has been a late-career renaissance for Chapman with the Red Sox. In 2025, his first season in Boston, Chapman was an All-Star, finishing seventh in Cy Young voting and 18th in MVP voting. Baseball Reference listed his WAR at 3.6, the highest of any single season in his career. It was also his lowest ERA, at 1.17 for the season, of his career.
In short, Chapman has been one of baseball’s best closers with Boston. There’s just not a lot of reason to hold onto a 38-year-old closer who could regress when your team doesn’t appear to be an actual threat to make a deep run in October. However, there is value in that player to other teams who could be willing to give up players that help in a rebuild.
Chief among those potentially interested teams, according to Nightengale, is the San Diego Padres.
“The San Diego Padres are looking for more bullpen help and have their eyes on Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox and Antonio Senzatela of the Colorado Rockies,” Nightengale wrote.
That would combine Chapman with Mason Miller to give the Padres the indisputably best back-end of a bullpen in baseball. However, what Nightengale didn’t get into was what San Diego would be willing to send for Chapman, or when such a deal would even take place. So, for now, there are still plenty of questions.
The Red Sox are Reportedly Looking for an Impact Bat
GettyBoston Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow
While Nightengale is ready to see the Red Sox blow up their roster and hit the reset button, Boston may not be ready to do that. In fact, recent reporting indicates that Breslow and the Red Sox are on the hunt for an impact bat, preferably on the right side of the plate.
“The Red Sox have started exploring the trade market to bolster a lineup that has scored the fewest runs in the American League. According to a league source, Boston’s front office has been making calls and canvasing the league to see what might be available,” Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic wrote.
“A second league source noted that, given the team’s widespread offensive struggles, the team isn’t seeking to bolster offense at one specific position. The club is looking to add any offense in general, with a preference for a right-handed bat.”
This comes as shortstop Trevor Story is going down for several weeks, and potentially months, following sports hernia surgery. Of course, the Red Sox were atrocious on offense even with him in the lineup. Boston is 27th in team OPS at .676 and 29th in runs scored with 189 on the season.
The Red Sox tried to add an impact bat during the offseason. However, Breslow was unable to either find a deal via trade or in free agency. This also comes after frustrating trade deadlines, including the failure to add Joe Ryan, in his first two seasons with the Red Sox. So, he’ll need to overcome those past issues to do so now.
More importantly, it’s an indication that, at Memorial Day, the Red Sox aren’t ready to admit defeat. Still, there’s plenty of time for that to change before the trade deadline.
Red Sox Trade Rumors: Latest on Star Closer Aroldis Chapman