At age 37, the veteran left-handed reliever gave the Boston Red Sox the season of his life this year. The Cuban-born flamethrower whose four-seam fastball was clocked as high at 103.8 mph this season gave the club 32 saves in his first Boston season, with 85 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings and an extraordinary ERA of just 1.17 as he earned the eighth All-Star bid of his 16-year career.
But Chapman, as impressive as he was, will be another year older in 2026, and it may be unrealistic to expect him to again post career bests in both ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.67). That may be why, heading into this offseason, the Red Sox were reportedly in the market to strengthen their bullpen even further â even to the point of creating a “super ‘pen,” according to a report by The Athletic.
“To be clear, the Red Sox do not intend to unseat left-hander closer Aroldis Chapman from his role after his dominant season,” wrote Athletic MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo in mid-November. “Also, right-hander Garrett Whitlock is a viable late-inning option. But adding another reliever similar to that pair would obviously enhance their bullpen.”
A new proposed trade from a popular Red Sox podcast would do exactly that, bringing in a “devastating” reliever from the National League in exchange for a fan favorite Boston outfielder.
Padres Have Long Coveted Jarren Duran
Jarren Duran, the Red Sox left-handed-swinging outfielder who has led the American League in triples two years in a row, has long been reported as a top trade target of San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.
According to veteran Red Sox beat reporter Sean McAdam, Preller contacted his Red Sox counterpart Craig Breslow shortly before the trade deadline this year, offering ace starter Dylan Cease as well as top catching prospect Leo De Vries for Duran.
But Breslow “quickly” shot down the offer, according to the reports.
Trade Idea Brings Back ‘Devastating’ Reliever
In the new proposal from Sammy Hurwitz, co-host of the WEEI-radio affiliated podcast Play Tessie â a trade that would be, he said, a “wild blockbuster” â the Red Sox would deal Duran to the Padres, but this time the deal would be a one-for-one straight trade â that is, a straight trade of major league talent â for a pitcher the podcaster called “one of the most devastating relievers in the world,” 27-year-old right-hander Mason Miller.
Acquired at the trade deadline from the Athletics for a package of prospects topped by De Vries and highly rated starting pitcher Henry Baez, Miller threw 23 1/3 innings for the Padres, striking out 45 â nearly two per inning â and allowing a mere two earned runs, an ERA of 0.77.
With a fastball clocked as high as 104.5 mph, Miller in his first-ever playoff appearances struck out the first eight batters he faced.
Red Sox Would Create ‘Monster Bullpen’
“You get a monster bullpen,” Hurwitz said, explaining his rationale for the trade idea on Fridayâs Play Tessie podcast. “Pair (Miller) with Aroldis Chapman, and Boston has triple-digit velocity from the right side and the left side. Eighth inning, ninth inning â it doesnât matter. Theyâre both closers.”
But the Red Sox also have setup man Garrett Whitlock, who allowed just one earned run in 27 appearances after the All-Star break, and Justin Slaten who before suffering an injury in 2024 posted a 2.93 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.
âThatâs a murdererâs row coming out of your bullpen,â the Play Tessie host concluded.
The question remains, would Breslow be willing to part with Duran for a single relief pitcher, no matter how “devastating,” and would Preller be open to dealing the closer who, just a few months ago, he sacrificed some of the Padresâ top prospects to acquire?
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