The Boston Red Sox have won 11 of their last 13 games dating back to the beginning of the month.
Even after Friday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs, the team is still in the playoff race. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes it has prevented the team from trading All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman.
“Aroldis Chapman and Reid Detmers are overqualified for this job description (standout lefties), and it would probably be a surprise if either were dealt this month,” wrote Rosenthal.
Chapman was the subject of numerous trade rumors heading into the month of July as the Red Sox were sitting in fourth place in the American League East with a snowball in hell’s chance of making the playoffs. Now, the team is right in the thick of the wildcard race.
The Red Sox are at their best when they have Chapman closing out games in the ninth inning. Boston can now add relievers and put a strong supporting cast around the left-handed flamethrower.
However, as Rosenthal reports, it’s not completely out of the picture for Chapman to be moved before the deadline. If this were to happen, it would be because the Red Sox could make themselves better.
The only way this would be possible is if the player(s) the organization gets back in a trade for Chapman are better than the one(s) given up to acquire a new closer.
While Rosenthal didn’t put a number on the exact odds Chapman would be traded, it’s highly likely the odds are less than 10% given the fact that contenders don’t trade their star closers very often.
