At 38 years old, Chapman is having yet another standout year. He totaled 32 saves in 2025, and he’s right on track for 30-plus again this year. In 18.2 innings of work, he has allowed just one run and totaled 25 punchouts.

There isn’t a team in the majors that wouldn’t benefit from adding Chapman to its bullpen. So why not the Dodgers?

How would Aroldis Chapman fit with the Dodgers?

First, it partly depends on what else the Dodgers do before the trade deadline this summer. If they add a big-time arm like Tarik Skubal, they may not want to deplete the farm system further by adding a guy like Chapman.

However, there’s a counterargument to that. If the Dodgers go big enough to get Skubal to anchor the starting rotation, they might as well add another piece for the back end. If you’re going to be unbeatable, do it in style, right?

The Dodgers’ bullpen has been solid this year. The current structure has Tanner Scott closing things out, along with help from Alex Vesia. Jack Dreyer, Blake Treinen, and Will Klein have also been solid.

But there’s more to the story. Edwin Diaz is expected back for the second half of the season. So what would the bullpen look like if the Dodgers added Chapman and only gave up prospects?

You could see the Dodgers be solid from the sixth inning on. Scott and Vesia could be employed as early as the seventh inning. The Dodgers could abuse lefty-lefty matchups, getting closer-like outs in the seventh inning.

And then, depending on the opponents’ lineup, they could finish with Diaz and Chapman in either the eighth or ninth inning.

It would basically become a five-plus inning game in the postseason. And who would beat the Dodgers against that backdrop?

What would the Dodgers have to give up for Aroldis Chapman?

It doesn’t make sense for the Dodgers to empty a top prospect for Chapman. This would be a luxury trade, not a need. They would hold the leverage instead of the Red Sox.

But they would still need to send a decent hitter and maybe a lower-level arm. Outfielder Charles Davalan might be the best fit from a hitting standpoint. He’s a couple of years away from the big leagues, according to MLB.com.

“Davalan has a sweet left-handed stroke and excels at making contact, striking out just 10 percent of the time during his college career,” MLB.com wrote. “He doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, rarely chasing pitches out of the zone and concentrating on working from gap to gap. While he’s just 5-foot-9, he has some sneaky pop and began driving the ball better after eschewing a leg kick in favor of a toe tap at Arkansas, displaying 15-20 homer potential.

“Davalan features solid-to-plus speed and plays with nonstop energy, though he’s not a prolific basestealer. He’s a solid left fielder with fringy arm strength, but would face increased power demands at the lesser position.”

That’s the type of prospect the Dodgers could afford to send elsewhere.

Young pitcher Marlon Nieves could also be part of the deal. He’s three years away, but shows promise, according to MLB.com.

“Nieves’ fastball velocity made a jump in 2025, sitting in the mid-90s and reaching 99 mph, and he found more success after switching from a fairly straight four-seamer to a two-seamer with run and sink,” MLB.com wrote. “His mid-80s slider features devastating sweep at its best. And he can also tighten it into a harder cutter. His nascent mid-80s changeup can flash some intriguing fade and sink.

Nieves has a quick, whippy arm action and a lean 6-foot-3 frame that can add plenty of muscle. So there may be more velocity to come. He has as much helium as any pitcher in the system and could become a future mid-rotation starter.”

This is a deal that the Red Sox would almost surely dive into, but the Dodgers would have to be confident they are getting the best version of Chapman. Their desire to make MLB history as a three-peat champion might help close the deal.

It’s hard to imagine the Dodgers getting better, but this type of trade would do it.