Cal Raleigh, Will Smith and J.T. Realmuto are franchise cornerstones that helped change the trajectory of their organizations. The Red Sox are clearly looking for a catcher capable of doing the same.
On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox traded right-handed pitcher Alex Hoppe to the Seattle Mariners for catcher Luke Heyman.
Earlier in the day, the Red Sox traded pitcher Chris Murphy to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Ronny Hernandez.
No one is saying that Heyman or Hernandez will turn into Cal Raleigh, Will Smith or J.T. Realmuto, but it's evident that Boston is trying to find a long-term answer behind the plate. While Jason Varitek is a franchise idol, Boston has struggled to find stability in that spot since trading Christian Vazquez in 2022.
Since then, they've utilized Kevin Plawecki, Reese McGuire, Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez most notably. Narvaez was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award in 2025, so he has some value to the organization, but as you project a few years out, Boston is clearly looking for a difference-making catcher, especially offensively.
About Heyman
He was drafted in the 14th round of the 2025 draft out of Florida and did not play after getting drafted. The Mariners have Raleigh entrenched at the MLB-level and also have top prospect Harry Ford in the fold.
Seattle also drafted Luke Stevenson out of North Carolina in the second round of the 2025 Draft, so they clearly felt confident enough in their catching depth.
He was a first-team All-SEC selection at catcher in 2025 and he also made the SEC's All-Freshman team in 2024. He has the second-most home runs as a catcher in Florida history (41), behind only Mike Zunino (47).
About Hernandez
Just 21 years old, Hernandez spent the season in Single-A, meaning he's years away from making a big-league impact. It was his second-year in a row at that level, and he hit .251 with four homers and 34 RBIs.
Also to consider
The Red Sox had a potential catcher of the future already in the organization in Kyle Teel, who they drafted in 2023, but they shipped him to the White Sox as part of the deal that netted them Garrett Crochet.
Considering Crochet is the ace of the staff and just finished second in the American League Cy Young voting, that seems like a solid deal, but it did mean the Red Sox were back to square one when it came to finding that next great franchise backstop.
No one is saying that Heyman or Hernandez will become that, but the Sox are clearly throwing numbers at the issue and seeing what sticks.
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