Reds trade rumors: Aroldis Chapman likely moved 'by the end of the weekend'

The Cincinnati Reds have not only moved Aroldis Chapman onto the trading block, but have reportedly set themselves a deadline. The news was tweeted out by Peter Gammons late Thursday morning:

That's four people insisting this morning that Aroldys Chapman will be moved by the end of the weekend.

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 12, 2015

The fact that the four people remain unnamed leaves some suspicions about what this means. It could mean that the Reds have deals on the table that they are weighing from a few different clubs and have informed those teams that they will make their decision by the end of the weekend. However, it could also be other writers speculating on one deal that happens to be already in-place.

Regardless of further speculation, there should be many teams trying to obtain Chapman's services. He is arguably the best closer in baseball and is free agent eligible next off-season. Chapman is going into his final year of arbitration. It's slightly astonishing that the Reds -- who have failed to be competitive recently -- have kept their closer for this long.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were connected to Chapman rumors back at the trade deadline but nothing materialized. It's possible that they could be involved again. Other teams thought to be shopping for a closer are the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers. The New York Yankees have also been mentioned in Chapman-specific rumors.