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6 hours ago
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The New York Mets have a lot of negativity floating around the team this week.
Having lost nine of their last 10 games, New York is suddenly fighting to make sure they don't get lost in the National League playoff shuffle. They're now 1 1/2 games out of first place in the East division, and their lead on the first team out of playoff position has shrunk to 3 1/2 games.
The New York bullpen hasn't been the main thing haunting them during this losing streak, but it's a legitimate concern. And specifically, the lack of a high-powered left-hander to use in leverage situations is something on Mets fans' minds.
Enter a seven-time All-Star who regularly tops 100 miles per hour? Perhaps, according to two ESPN insiders.
On Tuesday, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel wrote a trade deadline preview in which they assigned Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman a 35 percent chance of getting traded and named the Mets among his best possible fits.
"You have probably heard this story before, but Chapman is left-handed and his superpower is that he throws really hard (averages just under 100 mph) and throws that heater a lot (over 75% of the time)," the authors wrote. "He's 37 years old, and he's still dominant."
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Chapman has a minuscule 1.41 ERA through 35 appearances this year, racking up 14 saves in 15 opportunities. He's struck out 45 batters in 32 innings, but it's a career-low 7.4 percent walk rate that's really driving his value.
The fireballing Chapman hasn't walked a batter since Jun. 1, a streak of nine straight appearances. That's contributing heavily to a career-best 0.78 WHIP.
The Red Sox would be sure to get excellent prospects for the rental Chapman, so if they're anywhere close to dropping out of playoff contention, it seems like they'd at least be willing to listen. Could that be the golden opportunity the Mets need?
More MLB: MLB insiders float Yankees-Red Sox league-altering blockbuster at trade deadline
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