Red Sox Could Cut Ties With 7-Time All-Star In Deadline Trade With Mets

The narrative that the Boston Red Sox might be trade deadline sellers crystallized a few weeks back, but they could become a thing of the past soon.

Thanks to a 6-2 stretch in the last nine days, the Red Sox are one win away from getting back to .500 for the first time since May 24. They dipped as many as five games below, which made many a fan feel as though the season was on the brink.

If the Red Sox were to sell, though, they'd get the most calls on closer Aroldis Chapman. The seven-time All-Star lowered his season ERA to a minuscule 1.55 with another scoreless outing on Friday night against his old team, the New York Yankees.

In the event that the Red Sox can't keep up this positive momentum long enough to escape the plight of a deadline fire sale, one baseball writer has a clear-cut favorite in mind to trade for the lefty fireballer.

In a recent article, Newsweek's Andrew Wright named the New York Mets, who currently have the best record in the National League, as the ideal suitors for Chapman, who is on a one-year, $10.75 million contract.

"If the Red Sox continue to struggle, Chapman's one-year contract makes him an easy trade target, and the Mets have all the assets to get Chapman in the blue and orange," Wright wrote. 

"Chapman is having an excellent season in the Boston bullpen to the tune of a (1.55 ERA, 12 saves and 39 strikeouts in 32 appearances and 29 innings). His average fastball velocity sits at 99.2 mph, good for the 99th percentile."

The Mets lost their main high-leverage lefty reliever, A.J. Minter, for the season to a torn lat muscle in April. They've got just about everything else a World Series contender would want, but adding Chapman to the back end of the bullpen with righty Edwin Díaz would round things out nicely.

However, the Red Sox have other ideas. If they can win Saturday night, they'll clinch the series against the rival Yankees, and that could spark some momentum toward a midseason playoff push.