The Boston Red Sox have been a mess as of late, as they have lost six of their past seven games, resulting in their record falling to 28-32, which has them sitting in fourth place in the American League East. While the Red Sox still have time to turn things around, if they do continue to struggle, one name who is already drawing interest on the trade market is their closer, Aroldis Chapman.
While Boston's bullpen has struggled for much of the season, the same cannot be said for Chapman, who signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Sox in free agency over the offseason. That deal seemed a bit too rich at the time, but Chapman has been a bright spot for the Red Sox at the back of their bullpen, and it's resulting in several contenders keeping tabs on him amid Boston's recent skid.
“Scouts already are keeping an eye on Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman, who will be a hot commodity at the trade deadline if the Red Sox fall out of the AL East race,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported.
Red Sox trying to stay afloat in playoff race
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There were concerns about making the 37-year-old Chapman the team's new closer after the team moved on from Kenley Jansen, but he has been lights out so far, posting a 1.96 earned run average over 25 outings, racking up 31 strikeouts and eight saves along the way. If the Red Sox keep on struggling, it would make sense for them to move on from Chapman in an effort to get something in return for him before he potentially leaves for nothing this upcoming offseason.
Given the heightened expectations Boston was facing entering the season, though, they will likely hold off on selling their spare parts for as long as they can in hopes that the team can turn things around. The Red Sox struggles cannot be ignored anymore however, and Chapman could quickly emerge as one of the top reliever trade candidates in the league over the next few weeks.
