Projecting Pirates Trade for Aroldis Chapman
In this story:
If it weren't already crystal clear, the Pittsburgh Pirates' top priority at the trade deadline must be to upgrade their bullpen.
With a 4.38 ERA on the year that's the fourth-worst in the National League and has only declined since June 1 (5.15), the Pirates' current group of relievers isn't going to cut it if the club intends on making a postseason run.
The need for back-end arms has only been accentuated by Gregory Soto's recent struggles, whose ERA has dropped from 1.95 to 4.37 this month.
Aroldis Chapman is perhaps the top reliever on the trade market, and the expectation is that the Boston Red Sox will move him despite the fact that they're on a bit of a run with a five-game win streak.
Chapman makes a ton of sense as a potential addition for Pittsburgh, and he already knows how it feels to wear the team's uniform, but what would it cost to land him?
Comparable Trades From Recent Deadlines
Pitching is always at a premium come deadline time, and the expanded playoff format has turned it into a seller's market more often than not.
As such, the Pirates are going to have to get comfortable parting ways with some of their top prospects if they want to bring in high-impact players ahead of the August 3 cut-off point.
When looking for comparable deals to what Chapman may fetch, the New York Mets' acquisition of Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals stands out as the best example from 2025. Helsley had a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves with 10.3 K/9 at the time of the trade after posting a 1.83 ERA with two All-Star nods from 2022 to 2024.
In return, the Cardinals received Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt. At the time of the trade, Baez and Dohm ranked as the No. 8 and No. 14 prospects in a rather stacked Mets' system, per MLB Pipeline.
At the 2024 deadline, the San Diego Padres brought in Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing from the Miami Marlins for Robby Snelling (No. 2 prospect), Adam Mazur (No. 4 prospect), Graham Pauley (No. 5 prospect) and Jay Beshears (No. 24 prospect).
Hoeing's inclusion in the deal certainly upped the price tag, as he was in just his second full season in the majors at the time and had a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings before heading to the Padres.
Scott was the big get for San Diego, though, as he owned a 1.18 ERA and 18 saves with 10.4 K/9 in 45 2/3 innings for the Marlins. Chapman has run into some trouble recently, but his 2.19 ERA and 16 saves with 11.7 K/9 isn't that far off from Scott's production in 2024.
What Would Pirates Have to Give Up for Chapman?
Before his last five outings, during which he's allowed five earned runs over four innings, Chapman's ERA sat at 0.44. Coupled with his 3.4 bWAR campaign in 2025 that saw him finish with a 1.17 ERA, 32 saves and 85 strikeouts in 61 1.3 innings, the Red Sox are going to value him as one of the best relievers in the sport and thus look for a haul in return.
Potentially working against Pittsburgh in this case is that Chapman has a $13 million option for 2027 that would vest if he reaches 40 innings (currently at 24 2/3) and passes an end-of-year physical. Having him on the roster in 2027 would be a plus, though it also means that he's technically controllable and may increase what the organization has to part ways with as a result.
For an elite left-handed closer who has won two World Series over the past decade and was on the Pirates in 2024, however, it may be worth it.
Shortstop Wyatt Sanford, Pittsburgh's No. 6 prospect per Pipeline, feels like a solid headliner who is slashing .287/.425/.539 for High-A Greensboro this year and recently cracked Baseball America's Top 100 list.
The Pirates will have to toss in at least one other valuable prospect in the package, and right-handed pitcher Levi Sterling could fit the bill. The 19-year-old is the Pirates' No. 13 farmhand according to Pipeline and has logged a 4.73 ERA across 14 starts for Single-A Bradenton so far this season.
It's possible that Pittsburgh would have to send a lottery ticket-type prospect to seal the deal with the Red Sox, but Sanford and Sterling is a strong offer that may get the job done.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.