The conversation around the Boston Red Sox is unfortunately starting to shift.Boston is 12 games under .500 and the club started to show cracks on Thursday when it comes to the trade market. The club has been clear over the last few weeks that they want to add pieces. On Thursday, Red Sox president and chief executive officer Sam Kennedy acknowledged that if the club doesn't "change dramatically" over the next few weeks, then the team will need to "pivot." It's not shocking that Thursday was full of doom and gloom chatter around the organization. Boston wrapped up one of its most disheartening series of the season on Wednesday by getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. On top of this, conflicting reports surfaced about lefty Garrett Crochet and it's completely unknown what's going to happen with him. Plus, the Red Sox had a day off on Thursday, so it's not as if the team could go get back in the win column and quiet the noise. The vibes are low right now and with each loss, more and more eyeballs are going to be on All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. He has a 0.46 ERA in 20 appearances so far this season for Boston. If he becomes available, there will be teams lining up for his services. Since joining Boston last year, he has been the best closer in baseball. When he's available, the Red Sox essentially have to plan for just eight innings. But the offense just hasn't been there. The Red Sox Closer Opened UpJun 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesThe noise around Chapman has already started to get louder. So much so that he was asked by ESPN's Enrique Rojas on his thoughts on potentially getting traded back to the New York Yankees, although that seems extremely unlikely. Chapman insinuated that he would need an apology from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman for how things ended between the two sides back in 2022. "While the pitcher claims he received permission from the team to go to Miami, Cashman accused him of insubordination," Rojas wrote. "'What happened, happened,' Chapman said. 'If something like this were to happen, I believe someone from this organization should apologize first,' he said. When asked whether Cashman was that "someone," Chapman replied 'yes.'"On top of this, he made it clear that his focus isn't on the trade deadline, but playing well for Boston. "Every day you see social media and also people in the press talking and commenting about it," Chapman said. "... I have no control. At the end of the day, I have no control over that, and I'm just focusing on being able to play, even though I'm not playing much right now. But I'm trying to focus on that, on trying to get the job done when it's my turn."If the Red Sox trade Chapman, that would be a clear sign that the team is waving the white flag. In a perfect world, that wouldn't happen. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow