The Los Angeles Dodgers could be headed down a familiar road, targeting superstar reliever Aroldis Chapman to push for the team’s three-peat.

Chapman has been one of the most dominant closers in baseball for a very long time at this point, throwing harder than anyone else and avoiding bats with his fastball still in his late 30s.

He is somewhat of a rental, possessing just one year left on his contract in 2026 and a vesting option for 2027.

Additionally, Chapman is on one of MLB’s spiraling teams — the Boston Red Sox — making him clearly available for a trade if the right price comes in.

Insider Jeff Passan has the odds of a Chapman trade happening at 90%, and among the best fits in the league for him was the Dodgers.

“Relief pitchers often are some of the most impactful deadline acquisitions, and Boston’s closer is as effective as ever. Chapman doesn’t throw as hard as he once did, but he has four distinct pitches now,” Passan wrote in his story.

“And he’s still chucking his fastball in the high 90s, which is plenty of velocity when hitters need to gear up for his slider and splitter. Here’s the greatest truism of the deadline: Everyone needs a good reliever. Teams will climb over each other for Chapman.”

Why Chapman makes sense for the Dodgers

The Dodgers’ bullpen has shown a sense of vulnerability over the past few weeks, dropping from one of the best in the league to a good, not great group.

The team’s closer, Edwin Diaz, is in line for a 2026 return after the All-Star break, but it is still to be seen how he does upon his comeback.

At the highest level, only Tanner Scott, Will Klein, and Alex Vesia stand out as the more reliable pitchers, with Kyle Hurt, Jack Dreyer, Blake Treinen, and Edhardo Henriquez remaining quite inconsistent.

A trio of Scott, Diaz, and Chapman would be elite in the postseason and would put the Dodgers as one of the clearer favorites in recent memory.

Champman’s history with the Dodgers

The Dodgers had a deal in place back in 2015 during the offseason, sending a massive package to the Cincinnati Reds to form an elite duo with Kenley Jansen.

They agreed to send two prospects to the Dodgers in exchange for Chapman, but before the deal was finalized, a disturbing police report emerged about the pitcher.

He was accused of choking his 22-year-old girlfriend, Cristina Barnea, and firing eight shots in the garage of his Florida home, per an ESPN report.

The case was not prosecuted due to conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence, but an MLB investigation ultimately resulted in a 30-game suspension.

Chapman admitted to picking up a gun and firing eight shots into the wall, but he has denied harming his girlfriend.

However, upon learning of the allegations, the Dodgers pulled out of the trade, and he was later traded to the New York Yankees.

A year after the canceled trade, the Dodgers reportedly made a run at Chapman in free agency in 2016, but he wanted to remain on the East Coast.

Since then, Chapman has not been involved in any subsequent off-field incidents.

All those years later, Chapman could end up with the Dodgers via a trade, with the team having the capital to get a deal and add him at a time when he is still throwing the baseball hard and fast.