Hard Truth on Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman Dilemma, Per Fan Favorite Analyst

He's so good, he almost can't stay

May 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) enters a game against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox didn't come into the season hoping to cash in at the trade deadline. In fact, that was the complete opposite of the goal.

Most teams that sell off their top parts at the deadline have a general idea before the season that they won't be headed to the playoffs. The Red Sox thought they were headed back to October after a step forward last year, which meant it was a win that they got dominant closer Aroldis Chapman to agree to an extension in August.

Now, the discussion about Chapman isn't about whether he needs help closing out games to get the Red Sox to the playoffs, but whether it's time to wave the white flag and ship the 38-year-old flamethrower off to the highest bidder before the Aug. 3 deadline.

Lou Merloni's take on Chapman

On Wednesday, NESN and WEEI Red Sox analyst Lou Merloni took a hard stance on the prospect of trading Chapman during his appearance on the "ITM Podcast"

“Yeah, I’d be taking calls. And it sucks because he’s been that dominant, but it’s a one-year deal, teams need that closer and you can get a lot for him,” Merloni told hosts Scott Neville and Joey Copponi.

As an addendum to Merloni's statement, Chapman has a vesting option for $13 million next season if he reaches 40 innings pitched this year (he's at 20 2/3 through 70 team games). So while his contract currently sets up for him to become a free agent, there's a world where he could opt in if he reaches that innings threshold and doesn't think the open market will be kind to him.

Through 84 1/3 innings with the Red Sox, including playoffs, Chapman has now given up a grand total of nine earned runs. For context, that's less than Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet gave up in one awful start in April against the Minnesota Twins.

This isn't a question of whether Chapman is worth trading in the case of a sell-off--he quite obviously is. But at what point do the Red Sox need to start testing the waters? According to Merloni, sooner may be better.