Red Sox $11 Million Closer Among ‘Most Logical’ Players to be Traded

The Boston Red Sox know they have a gem in Aroldis Chapman in their bullpen.

If the Red Sox fall out of contention over the next few weeks, Chapman is one of the first players teams will call about. Jayson Stark of The Athletic took it as far as saying Chapman is the most logical player for Boston to trade.

“Aroldis Chapman is the most logical name (they could sell),” wrote Stark. “But when other clubs look at the Red Sox, they see a team that just needs to reconfigure the roster more than it needs to dump money or big names.”

Chapman entered Monday with a 1.25 ERA and earned his eighth trip to the MLB All-Star Game this year. He’s been arguably the best reliever in baseball this season, and his success has been noticed around the league.

However, he could finish the season on a different team than he started.

“I think they’re going to continue to do things that solve their long-term issues,” an AL executive told Stark.

Whether the Red Sox try to retool for next year and the long haul or not, the interest Chapman draws may be too much for them to ignore. The 37-year-old lefty is on an expiring contract and will become a free agent at the end of the year.

Anything can happen in the next few weeks leading up to the trade deadline, and the Red Sox are one of many teams executives around the league will be keeping their eyes on moving forward.

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