1:11pm: The Red Sox are indeed doing background work on Chapman, tweets Rosenthal, although that’s more a sign of genuine interest than proximity to a trade’s completion.
12:17pm: The Red Sox are being aggressive on many fronts, one of which is believed to be Chapman, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
11:13am: Aroldis Chapman has seen his name circulate in trade rumors for the past year and is widely known to be on the block once again, and Peter Gammons of MLB Network and GammonsDaily.com now reports that four people have insisted to him this morning that Chapman will be traded by the end of the coming weekend (Twitter link).
Chapman most prominently drew interest from the Astros, Yankees and Diamondbacks prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and he’s been speculatively connected to the Yankees, Red Sox and others this past week over the course of the GM Meetings. The Nationals and Tigers are also known to be seeking high-end bullpen help, and the Blue Jays have shown interest in the past as well. Gammons doesn’t specify which clubs are in the mix for Chapman at this time, but Cincinnati president of baseball ops Walt Jocketty more or less confirmed this week that he’s more or less open for business and will listen to talks on virtually any player on his club.
Chapman, with one year of club control remaining, is a natural trade chip for the rebuilding Reds. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected the left-hander to earn a steep $12.9MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and while that’s top-of-the-market value for a relief arm, Chapman has undoubtedly proven himself worthy of that much, if not more. The 27-year-old struck out more than 15 hitters per nine innings for the fourth consecutive season in 2015 while averaging 99.5 mph on his fastball. Over the course of the four seasons in question, Chapman has a 1.90 ERA and has saved 33 or more games per season.
Smart move to trade Chapman before the 2016 season starts since he will be one of the few relievers that will receive a QO. That ups his trade value significantly even though he only has one year of team control remaining.
I hope Red Sox get him.I just don’t know what Reds need.
The Red Sox should be all over this guy if Gray and Sale are truly “unavailable.”
Everyone is available in baseball.White Sox would trade Sale for Swihart,Moncada,Margot and Owens.But would you give up that?
White Sox or A’s aren’t trading young controllable aces for anyone less than Bogaerts or Betts in the deal. It’s going to be a trade that hurts.
Please man both those guys by themself are worth as much as Sale
No. They don’t have the record of production that he does. Sure they had great seasons but there is some level of uncertainty in them, not to mention their lacking “ace” cache.
Chris Sale is an ace who will be paid like a #4 starter for the next 4 years. Betts and Bogaerts have great upside but have yet to produce results that are anything close to what Sale has done. Not to mention Bogaerts is control through 2020 and Betts is controlled through 2021 while Sale is control through 2019 so it’s not like there is a big discrepancy in team control.
You really didn’t watch Bogaerts and Betts this season have you?
Betts and Bogaerts are younger, they play premium positions on both sides of the ball, and they both produced higher WAR than Sale did last year on their own… Calm down. The difference isn’t that big.
Not that it’s a bad offer but I don’t think Chicago would make that trade.
Yeah I really just don’t think sale is available for the right price. The Sox should look elsewhere.
That is like saying you should buy a Porsche because the learjet you want is not available. Both are great but they serve totally different purposes.
The Sox just need to build with any great pitching pieces out there. If the starting pitching isn’t there then go after the best bullpen piece.
I think he has Red Sox written all over him. I don’t see the Yankees going down this road since I think the cost hurts the Yankees more than the Red Sox in terms of where their farm system health is.
Plus they have Miller
Yes, they do, but they are also fielding offers for Miller so you never know. See what you can get and then trade the excess for prospects seems like a solid idea. I see them more likely to get Kimbrel if available than Chapman though.
Doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade Miller and then trade for Chapman. Very similar players and Miller is controlled for 3 more years at a lower salary.
Yup, that’s why I didn’t think it made sense for them even though they keep saying the Yankees are interested.
Why give up the House ,when you can get a young and much cheaper Giles from the Phillies.
Giles would be nice for the Sox, no doubt. Maybe the Sox can get both in trades.
not so sure Giles is cheaper. more team control. Chapman won’t bring the farm. i could see Anderson espinoza as the main player in the Boston/Cincy deal.
Red Sox brass has hinted at Anderson Espinoza being off limits completely.
the next “Pedro” ha
makes no sense to me. remember when Bundy was off limits for the O’s…out again with fore arm strain…spells TJ. all these young arms should be available.
Well, he’s a 17 year old that can hit the high 90’s and has good control. And has dominated in leagues where he was the youngest player. Not someone you really trade. Particularly if you have a lack of high ceiling pitching prospects in your minors.
Are you kidding? No way is Espinoza going to be made available for Chapman.
well, i don’t think Devers or Margot is either. gotta give up something decent.
The Reds dont need young pitching they have a ton already they need bats
the top bats of boston are good, think Boston gives up a top prospect bat for Chap?
Margot would be available for Chapman. Definitely.
he’s rated higher than the Esp kid. Margot would be a good bat to acquire.
Espinoza? Yeah, not happening.
A see a lot of proposals involving Margot, don’t the Reds already have a faster version of him in Billy Hamilton? Billy’s minor league numbers were better than Margot’s and it hasn’t translated in much offensive success for him.
Both are speedy CF with good defense and basestealing abilities, who both probably don’t get on base enough to be impact players (Billy OBP in the minors was .351 – hasn’t translated yet.)
Hamilton could be traded like everyone else this off-season. Either way the Reds could build a team with Margot and Hamilton if they chose to do so. Just put Margot in rf. That would help them build a athletic and a younger lineup with speed. Margot would literally be the best known “proven” prospect the Reds could get for Chapman.
Hamilton is pre-arbitration, he’s exactly the type of player you don’t trade. Cheap and controllable. We have no idea what the Reds will actually get for him…
Good point.
Hamilton isn’t going anywhere this offseason. He has very limited trade value at this point, and is worth more to the Reds as an investment than as a trade chip. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll improve in 2016.
If the Reds acquired Margot I would expect him to spend the year in AA or AAA. Maybe he takes Hamilton’s job by 2017.
Agreed that Margot is probably at least two years away, but Hamilton is controlled for four. It just doesn’t seem like a great fit when the team has bigger needs than a speedy CF. (Like a power bat at 3B or corner OF.)
I’m sorry, but I’d rather see Boston get Ken Giles. Dude has future (and present) dynamic closer written all over him, and he doesn’t hit free agency until 2021. He’s the guy I’d want to build a bullpen around (and sign Darren O’Day!)
They could get both. Chapman is just as good as Giles though. He just costs more.
If they get Giles, I would want them to either hold onto the rest of the prospects or use them for a top-shelf starter, not for another late-inning reliever. They can always use $$$ to sign O’Day and another reliever, and at that point the bullpen would be very strong.
Chapman needs to be stretched out to be a starter in 2016
Chapman is a rental reliever whose making 13mil this season. The QO you can offer him has value, as does Chapman, but he isn’t worth a top tier prospect like Margot or a Benintendi as some on here are saying.
The surplus value simply isn’t there. Hes an expensive rental reliever. I think the best prospect the Reds could get from the Redsox would be Brian Johnson (whose still a top 100 prospect, but doesn’t offer the upside of a Benintendi or such)
For example, the Astros turned down the Reds asking price of Hader, Musgrove, and Martes for Chapman at the deadline (when Chapman had more control and thus more value) which in the Redsox system would probably be equal to about Johnson, Stank, and Ball.
I like Johnson. Wouldn’t want to see him go. Would rather see Owens leave. I think Johnson doesn’t have much trade value anyways after the way he was shut down the final 2 months of the year anyways.
It would seem that the Sox would have to give up some promising players for Chapman, who is a free agent after this coming season. Would he really be worth losing players for just one year?