Sports

Boston's Aroldis Chapman Responds to Trade Rumors

By Ezra Lombardi Athlon Sports

A longtime veteran of the league, Aroldis Chapman is no stranger to the uncertainty of an MLB trade deadline.

The eight-time All-Star has been traded three times now in his 17-year career and has pitched for seven different clubs. But somehow, at 38 years old, the flamethrowing left-hander looks to be at his best.

Coming to the Boston Red Sox in 2025, Chapman was able to recapture the dominant form he displayed with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 2010s where he picked up his first four All-Star nods. He converted 32 of 34 save opportunities, boasting a 1.17 ERA across 67 games and allowing just eight earned runs all season.

In the midst of this career year, the Red Sox got ahead of his pending free agency and extended his contract for 2026. Gearing up for another postseason appearance, Boston wanted to make sure that one of the best closers in baseball was coming out of their bullpen.

So far, Chapman has held up his end of the bargain. He is a perfect 13-for-13 on save opportunities and holds a 0.46 ERA through 20 appearances, allowing just one earned run.

Unfortunately, the dominant closer has had little impact on his team's season as a whole, simply because they haven't been able to use him much. The last place Red Sox sit 10 games below .500 at 27-37 over a week into June, and despite an internal belief that they will be competing come September and October, noise from outside the organization suggests that they could be big sellers at the trade deadline in August, with Chapman as their most valuable asset.

Over the weekend, Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that "Chapman is expected to join his eighth different team," calling him "the top reliever available on every contender's target list."

A report from The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey confirmed that the Red Sox have fielded calls on Chapman (along with relievers Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten) but maintain that they have no interest in trading them.

Considering age, contract, performance, need around the league, and season outlook, trading Chapman away at the deadline feels like a no brainer for Boston. But with just under two months left to turn the season around, it appears the club and Chapman himself are trying not to think this far in advance.

Speaking with MassLive's Christopher Smith through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez on Monday, the veteran reliever turned his focus to the immediate future with the Red Sox.

"My mentality is to stay here and win here," Chapman said. "Try to turn things around."

"We need it to turn around. Our situation, the goal is to make it to the playoffs. That's been our primary goal and to the rumors - that's not something I can control."

Chapman holds a 2.26 ERA in 46 postseason appearances over his career. The left-hander helped contribute to two World Series titles, one with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 after he was traded from the Yankees and another with the Texas Rangers in 2023 after he was traded from the Royals.

Boston's hope was that this extensive experience in the highest leverage spots would be useful when competing for their own World Series, but now it seems more likely that he would get that opportunity for a different team.

Chapman is still eyeing history in a Red Sox uniform, as he is just seven strikeouts away from becoming the all-time leader for relief pitchers (1,363 strikeouts). Earlier this year, he broke into the top 10 on the all-time saves list and is now just 10 away from passing Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (390 saves).

It remains to be seen if this historic feat will be done in Boston, but as Chapman indicated, the decision will be out of his control.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 8:45 AM.

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