Red Sox Get Ominous Aroldis Chapman Prediction From Rival Executives

The Boston Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman signing has worked out better than anyone could have imagined.

Entering his 16th year in Major League Baseball, Chapman signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with Boston in November. He wasn't guaranteed the closer job, but he won it in spring training with a barrage of strikeouts, with an assist from the struggling Liam Hendriks.

Chapman now owns a 1.32 ERA, 38.8 percent strikeout rate, and 7.8 percent walk rate in 34 innings. He's looking like a lock to make his eighth All-Star appearance, and the argument can even be made that the 37-year-old looks better than he ever has before.

But with the Red Sox still two games under .500 entering a de facto doubleheader on Wednesday, the question has to be asked: Is Chapman staying or going at the upcoming trade deadline?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic added fuel to the fire on Wednesday. Bowden polled more than 40 Major League Baseball front office executives, and Chapman was voted the most likely reliever to be traded by a commanding margin.

"The execs overwhelmingly picked Chapman as the reliever most likely to be traded in July. The 37-year-old is having a banner season, posting a 1.32 ERA over 37 appearances with 14 saves and 50 strikeouts in 34 innings," Bowden wrote.

"He would be a difference-maker in any bullpen. Two years ago, Chapman was traded from the Royals to the Rangers in a late-June deadline deal for lefty Cole Ragans and a minor-league outfielder."

That 2023 trade paid huge dividends for the Royals, as Ragans developed into an All-Star just a year later. Boston desperately needs reliable starting pitching, and most contenders this year have top pitching prospects nearing major league readiness.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been steadfast in his desire to buy, not sell, at the deadline. But the temptation of grabbing a prospect haul for an aging reliever on an expiring contract may be too great to overcome.

At least, that's what Breslow's peers seem to think.