One team is already off the Red Sox’s list for an Aroldis Chapman trade, and it’s not the Yankees

One team is already off the Red Sox’s list for an Aroldis Chapman trade, and it’s not the Yankees originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The National League Central has been one of the more competitive divisions in Major League Baseball this season. While every team was above .500 for much of the year, there’s now just one team that isn’t, with the Cincinnati Reds sitting at 35-37. 

The Reds have done some nice things throughout the year, but as a whole, haven’t been able to compete at the level everyone expected. The offense, at times, can be very good, and the same can be said for one of the better pitching staffs in Major League Baseball. 

However, the bullpen has been a major concern, and until that changes, there will be legitimate questions about whether Cincinnati can actually compete with high-end teams in the second half or make the postseason.

Trading for somebody like Aroldis Chapman could make a lot of sense, but according to one recent report, the chances of that happening are very low, giving the Boston Red Sox another team that likely won’t be on Chapman’s list of potential trade partners.

“The Reds have made it clear that bullpen is their No. 1 priority, but trading for a “rental” such as Chapman doesn’t make much sense because their team is just not good enough to make that type of deal. To give up the prospect package that it would take to acquire Chapman would be a long-term mistake. I don’t think it’s a possibility, at least at this year’s deadline,” Jim Bowden wrote.

If the Red Sox move on from Chapman, doing right by him and sending him to a contending team would be the right thing to do. 

Not to say that Craig Breslow should worry about that, but doing right by his veterans is often something he should at least attempt to do. Not that the Reds are a terrible team and in a bad spot right now, but there are far better teams out there for his services.

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