It’s crazy how quickly things can change in baseball, and for the Boston Red Sox, who begin the second half of their season on Friday, that’s exactly what has happened.
For the better part of the year, the Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball, hovering around 10 games below .500 for several months.
However, all it takes is one hot streak, and for Boston, it came right before the All-Star break. The Red Sox rallied off nine consecutive wins to improve to 46-48 and move within 0.5 games of a Wild Card spot.
Trade Deadline Update
With that, things have changed regarding how Boston will approach the upcoming trade deadline and whether they will be buyers or sellers.
Originally, many expected the Red Sox to sell, and they still might. However, the biggest name they have available is veteran closer Aroldis Chapman, who remains one of the best relievers in baseball.
On Friday, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi shared that the Red Sox have a 40.1% chance of reaching the postseason entering the second half of the season. Because of that, it has become “increasingly unlikely” that Boston trades Chapman before the Aug. 3 deadline.
The Red Sox open the 2nd half with a 40.1% chance of reaching the postseason, per @fangraphs.
An Aroldis Chapman trade is increasingly unlikely to happen at all.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 17, 2026
Chapman’s 2026 Campaign
Chapman, 38, doesn’t throw as hard as he once did, but he still has the ability to blow fastballs past hitters. This season, he has appeared in 30 games and, while he hasn’t had as many save opportunities as he’s used to, he has still recorded 19 saves across 28.2 innings while maintaining a 2.20 ERA.
The Red Sox will likely receive plenty of calls about his availability over the next few weeks, but whether they decide to shop him will likely depend on how they perform during this next stretch. That stretch begins with a series against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, including a doubleheader on Friday.
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