Aroldis Chapman is having a good time with the Boston Red Sox, recording a 0.46 ERA in the relief role. However, his infamous controversy with the New York Yankees from 2022 is back in the talk as he posed an uncomfortable demand to get traded to the Bombers again. The Red Sox could become sellers by the trade deadline. But if they trade away Chapman to the Yankees, an apology from Brian Cashman is all needed to make a deal.

Aaron Boone was asked about the demand, and his response may have just confirmed that nothing like that is happening.

“No,” MLB insider Gary Phillips quoted Boone to Chapman, demanding an apology. “At the end of the day, he wasn’t at the workout. I made the decision based on a lot of things and thought to leave him off because I thought that was the right thing to do for our club at the time. Chappy apologized, and, really, it’s water under the bridge for me. I love Chappy. I have a really good relationship with him to this day, but the ending of the 2022 season is what it was. He wasn’t there, and I made the decision that I didn’t think it was best for him to come back at that point.”

Chapman was one of the best relief pitchers during his 6.5-season stint with the Yankees between 2016 and 2022. He had posted a combined regular-season record of 24-14 with a 2.94 ERA, 153 saves, and 453 SOs across 315 appearances in his Yankees career. However, his relationship with the Yankees strained in 2022 around his injury.

That year, Chapman struggled with Achilles tendinitis, a leg infection from a tattoo, and saw his ERA balloon to a career-worst 4.46. As a result, he lost the closer role to Clay Holmes. But as he was confirmed that he was unlikely to make a cut to the Yankees’ playoff roster that year due to his injury, he chose to stay back in Miami instead of attending a mandatory postseason workout. The Yankees left him off the entire playoff roster, ending his time with the club.

However, as per Chapman, he had the permission from Cashman to stay back in Miami. He blamed Cashman for the miscommunication, while Cashman publicly labeled it insubordination. While Chapman later apologized to Boone for missing out on the 2022 session, he still demands the same from Cashman. “What happened, happened… If something like this were to happen, I believe someone from this organization should apologize first,” Chapman told Enrique Rojas of ESPN.

The Red Sox’ current 28-39 record means they could give up a few names to build the team from scratch. Chapman trading to the Yankees, thus, could be a possibility.

For that, Chapman needs an apology from Cashman, while Boone straightaway declined. Time will answer if that means no chance of Chapman getting traded to the Yankees. Still, considering how the Yankees’ bullpen is struggling, Aroldis Chapman could prove effective.

The Yankees’ bullpen needs Aroldis Chapman

In early May, Boone shared his confidence in the Yankees’ relief staff. “I think they’re just better than everyone thinks,” he said. However, since then, the bullpen has proved every word of the manager wrong. For example, entering a game with a 1-0 lead on May 23 against the Tampa Bay Rays, Tim Hill was charged with four runs without recording a single out.

Again, in a game against the Miami Marlins back in April, Fernando Cruz and Jake Bird gave up a late lead. They turned a solid outing from Max Fried into a gut-wrenching 7-6 home loss. So, with that being said, the Yankees need reliable arms at the bottom of their innings. Chapman, at 38, still has his fastball routinely reach triple digits, overwhelming opposing hitters. In early April, Chapman sealed the Red Sox home opener against the San Diego Padres. He logged his 369th career save, officially passing Jonathan Papelbon for 11th on the MLB all-time saves list.

If the Yankees need to pay prospects for Aroldis Chapman, that still could be a deal. Chapman could still perform in the next year or two. A low-stakes trade is thus possible, but only if both parties agree on the apology part.