Sports

Red Sox receive 90% trade update on Aroldis Chapman from ESPN

Nairavoice · Jul 6, 2026 · 2 min read

Red Sox receive 90% trade update on Aroldis Chapman from ESPN originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2026 Boston Red Sox have not had a good year whatsoever. Alex Cora has been fired, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet have missed most of the season, and not much has gone right overall.

Now, under a month to go until the MLB trade deadline, the Red Sox are likely to act as sellers. If and when they do, the Red Sox will have some interesting decisions to make.

But one thing they should have no questions over is what to do with Aroldis Chapman. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel gave the Red Sox a 90% chance to trade Chapman this summer, and it’s an update that should surprise no Red Sox fans this year.

Red Sox have have 90% chance to trade Aroldis Chapman

“10. Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Boston Red Sox. Chance of being traded: 90%,” Passan and McDaniel write. “… Here’s the greatest truism of the deadline: Everyone needs a good reliever. Teams will climb over each other for Chapman.”

The Red Sox trading away Chapman this summer by the August 3 trade deadline looks incredibly likely. A 90% chance of being traded from this ESPN duo is the highest of any player around the league.

It’s hard to imagine the Red Sox not selling this summer, and if they sell, it’s hard to imagine Chapman isn’t dealt in the process of the sell-off.

Whether the Red Sox conduct a minor retooling, a full-scale roster teardown, or simply sell their expiring players, Chapman should be dealt in all scenarios.

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He has a 2027 contract that will vest if he reaches 40 innings this season, but that’s not something the Red Sox should rely on to bring him back for one more season.

Instead, they should trade Chapman, get a strong return, as Chapman’s the top reliever available this year, and move forward with a new closer for the rest of 2026 and into the future.

Chapman, 38 years old, has a 2.36 ERA this season on his one-year, $13.3 million deal. Teams will be eager to land the lefty flame-thrower this summer, and the Red Sox should make that 90% trade chance 100% by the August 3 deadline.