Article: 3 Possible Trade Destinations for Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman

[mvp 78]

23 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The Devers trade was just plain unusual and everyone has their opinion on why they did it.

You and others thought the Priester trade was jumping on an opportunity to get a big haul for a starter with weak peripherals that the Sox probably didn't need.

So I think the real story is yet to be told.

The story is that they are open for trades if they like the return. 

[Bellhorn04]

26 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

The story is that they are open for trades if they like the return. 

A couple of players have been made available, that much is certain.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

20 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

A couple of players have been made available, that much is certain.

Look back to recent seasons and you'll find that history shows a drop off in the second half will happen.  The lone exception was 2021 before the new scheduling within the division.  With only 13 games vs the AL East but most of them falling into AUG/SEP BOS has failed miserably since the schedule change.  We still have Cora so the results should be the same in 2025. 

Trading should be strategic this season and not to win a playoff spot.  What does this team need to increase 2026 talent?

1 - TWO Starting pitchers to sit behind Crochet/Giolito that are better than Sandoval, Houck, Crawford, Bello, Dobbins and Fitts.  

2 - This team needs better bullpen arms.  Chapman needs to be extended a year and the mediocre relievers that bridge the Starters and Chapman need to be significantly upgraded.

3 - Narvaez has NO HISTORY of being a good hitter until 2025 so he may be a one hit wonder like Wong was last year.  We had an excellent long-term solution in Teel, but he was the big cost in getting Crochet.  Now we need another Teel-like catcher who is a team leader and a potential all-star.

4 - The insanity at 1B needs to stop.  If Casas is NOT the long-term solution, then apparently Campbell is supposed to be, but he IS NOT a proto-typical player for that position.  With only one true power hitter in the outfield in Anthony and two speedsters that are doubles hitters more than HR hitters, the corner infield spots need to be power hitters.  Bregman is an outstanding hitter but not a big HR guy but an adequate HR guy who is highly productive.  Story, Mayer, Campbell and all the slugs Cora uses in the infield are not power guys either.  So 1B needs to be a big right-handed power guy with 40 HR capability or we need a catcher like Raleigh or Goodman who can make up for the lack of HRs at the corner infield spots.

With 4 needs, Breslow simply must find the teams willing to provide our needs with what BOS has on its MLB roster (Yoshida, Story, Abreu, Refsnyder, Gonzalez, Toro) or its prospects that are blocked by the current prospects being touted so highly (Arias, Garcia, Tibbs, Cespedes, Soto, Rodriguez, Romero, Bleis or Taylor).  

Breslow needs to be a surgeon who only extracts players that will contribute Day 1 of 2026 and the cost needs to not reduce the immediate value of the ball club so certain players must be off limits (Bregman, Mayer, Campbell, Anthony, Duran, Rafaela, Crochet, Giolito and Chapman).

One last reminder, the current team has many hot players that are very likely to cool off significantly because they are playing above their skill level.  They include Abreu, Gonzalez, Toro, Narvaez, Eaton, Refsnyder and Sogard.  On the other hand, Story, Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Rafaela and Duran should all raise their hitting the second half.  

Each time the schedule hits a weak patch translated into a winning streak two bad things happen; First, fans get their hopes up more than they should and second, Cora's tenure get extended leading to yet another dismal AUG/SEP performance.  

I hope Breslow gets HIS manager before the 2026 season begins so the playoffs become a real possibility.

[mvp 78]

The only 1b to hit 40+ HR since 2017: Alonso, Vlad Jr, Matt Olson. 

I'm not so sure the Sox are getting one of those three guys. If they wanted Alonso, they would have signed him last offseason.