Boston Red Sox All-Stars Aroldis Chapman, Alex Bregman 'Going Nowhere' at Trade Deadline

ESPN insider Jeff Passan went on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday and made it clear that the Boston Red Sox will look to load up rather than trade away its veteran stars.

Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox went on a 10-game winning streak to close out the first half of the season, asserting themselves as a true contender in the American League.

As a result, some of the trade rumors that were starting to bubble up a month ago have fizzled out.

The Red Sox went 4-8 in the two weeks after they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on June 15. It didn't take long for fans and pundits alike to start considering the possibility of Boston moving off two of its biggest offseason additions – closer Aroldis Chapman and third baseman Alex Bregman – both of whom are All-Stars but could leave via free agency at the end of the year.

ESPN insider Jeff Passan went on "The Pat McAfee Show" at the MLB All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta on Monday and put those questions to rest.

"Aroldis Chapman's going nowhere, Alex Bregman's going nowhere – they're gonna add," Passan said. "And if they get another starting pitcher who can be at the top of that rotation with Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello pitching so well, Lucas Giolito, the Boston Red Sox are legitimate World Series contenders."

"The Red Sox are gonna add before the trade deadline..

They are legitimate World Series contenders"@JeffPassan #ProgrumSummerRoadTrip https://t.co/4kDWpCk0ze pic.twitter.com/53NufgW2z2

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 14, 2025

Bregman recently missed seven weeks with a quad strain, but finally rejoined the lineup this past weekend. He is batting .298 with 11 home runs, 18 doubles, 35 RBIs, a .927 OPS, five defensive runs saved and a 2.9 WAR through 53 games in 2025.

As for Chapman, he is 3-2 with a 1.18 ERA, 0.763 WHIP, 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings, 17 saves and a 2.0 WAR across 41 appearances.

The Red Sox are currently 53-45, which puts them 3.0 games out of first place in the AL East. They hold the second AL Wild Card spot at the season's midpoint, boasting a 1.5-game cushion over the Seattle Mariners.

Boston is tied with the Houston Astros for the best record in the AL since June 1, so shaking things up beynd the Devers deal doesn't appear to be the most likely course of action. Instead, the front office is seemingly primed to add, rather than subtract, before the trade deadline arrives on July 31.

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• D-BACKS TRADE RUMORS: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor are all reportedly available as the Arizona Diamondbacks try to retool and add young pitching amid a disappointing 2025 season. CLICK HERE

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