Left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman has been moved twice at the MLB trade deadline during his career. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Boston Red Sox listened to offers that would make Chapman a trade candidate once again.
Any team in need of a left-handed relief pitcher should be interested. While Chapman is 37 years old and doesn’t have the same velocity he once did, the two teams that previously acquired Chapman at the MLB trade deadline — the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and Texas Rangers in 2023 — won the World Series.
That should only raise the left-hander’s trade value. What would raise his value the most, though, are two division rivals each making Boston offers for Chapman.
On June 24, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan named National League East division rivals, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, two of the three best fits for Chapman at the deadline.
With the Mets’ recent slide, I see them being the most desperate to add bullpen help.
Let’s explore the possibility of the Mets acquiring Chapman from the Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox receive right-handed starter Blade Tidwell and No. 23 Mets prospect and outfielder Edward Lantigua.
New York Mets receive left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman
To determine the left-hander’s trade value this summer, we used the blueprint for the Rangers-Kansas City Royals trade that involved Chapman two years ago.
The Rangers acquired Chapman from the Kansas City Royals on June 30, 2023 for starting pitcher Cole Ragans and rookie ball outfielder Roni Cabrera.
Ragans had already pitched at the MLB level with the Rangers but struggled. Last season, though, Ragans made the AL All-Star team.
So, it could again take including a pitcher already at or close to the MLB level to acquire Champan in 2025. Tidwell fits that description. He has yielded 12 runs in 10.2 MLB innings, but he’s rated the No. 14 prospect in the Mets organization and the one closest to receiving a regular role in the big leagues.
With Lantigua, the Red Sox would add an 18-year-old outfielder that MLB.com projects to be ready for the big leagues in four years. The other piece of the Royals-Chapman trade two years ago, Cabrera, is still at rookie ball this season.
In Chapman, the Mets would receive a proven veteran left-handed reliever and keep him out of the bullpen of their biggest competition in the NL East.
The Mets bullpen owns a 3.70 ERA this season, which is ranked 12th in the league. But it wasn’t long ago that New York’s relievers had a MLB second-best 2.91 ERA. The Mets bullpen held that ERA on June 10, but the team’s relievers significantly struggled during the second half of June.
Behind their bullpen struggles, the Mets are 3-13 since June 13.
Fantasy managers should keep in mind, though, that a Chapman trade to the Mets would likely be bad for his fantasy value. Edwin Diaz currently holds the ninth-inning role in New York, and he possesses a 1.99 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 31.2 innings this season.
There’s little reason to think the Mets would acquire Chapman to bump Diaz from his role. New York needs better middle reliever and setup pitchers to get the game to Diaz.
Chapman would help that. It’s also a role he’s familiar with from his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. The left-hander would retain his value in the ERA and strikeout departments. But Chapman would lose almost all chances at saves.
The 37-year-old has recorded 349 saves in 833 relief appearances during his career. This season, he is 3-2 with a 1.32 ERA, 0.794 WHIP, 50 strikeouts and 14 saves over 34 innings in 37 games.
