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The Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Red Sox have a few players they could unload if they decide to sell.
ESPN released its latest list of the league’s top trade candidates. The Red Sox have three players in the top 25: Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman and Willson Contreras.
Chapman came in at No. 10 on Passan’s list and has the highest chance of getting traded, per Jeff Passan, at 90%. Gray (No. 11) has a 25% chance and Contreras (No. 12) has a 40% chance.
Here’s what Passan said about Contreras:
“Contreras has been highly productive in Boston, thriving at Fenway Park — where he has an OPS over 1.000 — and mashing on the road. Since he has been so good offensively for a team that has been so bad, trading him when he has two very reasonable years left on his deal and when the Red Sox intend to compete in the coming years gives them pause. Compound that with Contreras’ no-trade clause and the feeling of other teams is that anything short of a massive overpay will make Contreras difficult to land.
“Of course, the market is an ever-evolving creature, and all it takes is one team willing to buck the trend of recent deadlines and give Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow an offer he can’t refuse — provided Contreras doesn’t refuse it.”
The Red Sox were recently rumored to be aggressively looking to add offense to their roster, though MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported that plan has since changed.
While Contreras would likely net a strong return for Boston, it doesn’t make sense to rid the roster of offense — especially if the Red Sox want to add more.
Chapman and Gray’s names have been brought up in trade rumors of late. Gray has also been a bright spot for Boston with a 10-1 record, 2.61 ERA and 1.104 WHIP.
Gray has a no-trade clause and said recently he’d be open to discussing moving it should the Red Sox sell.
“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said. “Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open to a conversation.”
Gray is in the final year of his contract, but he does have a mutual option for 2027.
“Like with Contreras, there are complications. Gray also has a no-trade clause. And then there’s the financial matter: On top of the $10 million or so he’d be owed in salary for the final two months — around the same as (Tarik) Skubal — Gray’s restructured contract after his trade from St. Louis to Boston includes a $10 million buyout on a $30 million mutual option for 2027,“ Passan wrote. ”Considering mutual options don’t get picked up, that is a pricey deadline acquisition, leaving Boston somewhat hamstrung unless it’s willing to pay down a significant portion and convince Gray to accept a deal.
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Chapman has been dominant for the Red Sox with a 2.36 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 26⅔ innings His contract includes a vesting option for 2027.
“Relief pitchers often are some of the most impactful deadline acquisitions, and Boston’s closer is as effective as ever. Chapman doesn’t throw as hard as he once did, but he has four distinct pitches now,” Passan wrote. “And he’s still chucking his fastball in the high 90s, which is plenty of velocity when hitters need to gear up for his slider and splitter. Here’s the greatest truism of the deadline: Everyone needs a good reliever. Teams will climb over each other for Chapman.”
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