Aroldis Chapman is already coming up in trade talk, and the question is whether Boston would move him sooner than later. Tim Dierkes raised that possibility in this week’s mailbag, writing that Chapman has had a great start to the season and that there are not a whole lot of games to save in Boston.
That framing matters because it turns a hot start into a decision point. Dierkes’ answer was not a report of an active deal, but a trade question aimed at whether the Red Sox would consider dealing Chapman while his value is high. He also asked what Boston would want back, a reminder that even strong relief pitching does not always translate into a simple market.
The timing is part of the appeal. The mailbag was published May 13, 2026, and Dierkes said early-season trades are rare. Still, Chapman’s name has surfaced because his production gives Boston something it can use to gauge interest now rather than wait for the August 3rd deadline. In a bullpen market, a reliever off to a strong start can become a movable asset fast, especially when the club does not have many late-game opportunities to convert into saves.
The broader discussion in the same mailbag centered on Josh Hader, which gives a sense of how relief trade chatter is forming this spring. Hader is 32 and has made three scoreless relief appearances so far, but his 2025 season ended in mid-August with a left shoulder capsule strain. He was on the 60-day injured list and eligible to return to the Astros on May 24. At the deadline, he will be owed a bit less than $45 million through 2028, and he also has a full no-trade clause. Dierkes said the relevant deadline for Hader is August 3rd.
That mix of age, injury history, salary and veto power is what makes the Hader portion of the mailbag more complicated than Chapman’s. Dierkes noted that if Hader were moved, he would change his username, a sign of how strongly he tied the left-hander to Houston. He also pointed to the Yankees, Braves, Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers as big-market clubs with at least a 40 percent shot at the playoffs right now, while the Yankees and Cubs stood out as possible fits. For Chapman, though, the issue is simpler: if Boston keeps winning and the saves keep piling up, the Red Sox may decide the best value comes from trading him before the market shifts again.
