As the trade market continues to take shape ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, one thing remains abundantly clear: Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is being incredibly aggressive in his pursuit of upgrades for a team that has completely changed the tenor of its season thanks to an incredible month of July. Among the positions Breslow is reportedly looking to upgrade is catcher, where the tandem of Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez has disappointed in 2026. 

The St. Louis Cardinals, having fallen in seven of their last 10, find themselves back to .500 at 54-54, and while they are only 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the National League, they will need to jump five teams in order to land the final playoff position. 

Despite being within striking distance of a playoff spot, though, according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, St. Louis is open for business, fielding offers on "anybody on their roster not named Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt." Among the players Castillo reports St. Louis is willing to listen on is All-Star catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera, whom both the Red Sox and rival Yankees have checked in about. Could Breslow and Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom connect on yet another deal to land the Red Sox the catcher they've been searching for? 

Before landing with the Cardinals ahead of the 2024 season, Bloom was the Chief Baseball Officer in Boston from 2020 to 2023, before being replaced by Breslow. In the two years since Bloom arrived in St. Louis, first as a special advisor to former Cardinals POBO John Mozeliak, the Cardinals and Red Sox have lined up on three different deals. First, sending reliever Steven Matz to Boston in exchange for Bloom draftee Blaze Jordan at the 2025 trade deadline. Again, the two sides came to terms on a pair of deals over the offseason, sending both All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras and starter Sonny Gray to the Red Sox in exchange for prospect packages. 

The 26-year-old made his first All-Star appearance in 2026 thanks to a slash line of .242/.362/.377/.739 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, and 44 RBI; his 17.3 percent strikeout rate ranks in the 73rd percentile of all qualified hitters, while his 10.8 percent walk rate ranks in the 72nd percentile. Overall, Herrera has hit .271/.368/.417/.785 while appearing in parts of five seasons, all with St. Louis. 

Defensively, Herrera has split his time between designated hitter and catcher, spending 40 of his 107 games played behind the dish. The 27-year-old ranks middle of the pack in both blocks above average (0, 49th percentile) and framing (-1, 40th percentile), but has struggled when it comes to throwing runners out, catching only one of the 28 attempted steals against him. He has, however, performed well with the ABS system, overturning 63% of the calls he's challenged. 

Herrera, like all of the Red Sox' reported targets, comes with multiple years of team control. He will not be a free agent until after the 2030 season.

While the defensive metrics leave a lot to be desired, offensively Herrera would provide an immediate boost to the Red Sox' catching unit that has struggled to a 76 weighted runs created plus, the eighth-worst mark in baseball. 

There is inherent risk associated with adding a catcher to a roster that has spent 108 games together. The Red Sox pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball, throwing to Wong, Narvaez, and at times, Mickey Gasper. Herrera, if added into the mix, could potentially disrupt the flow of a staff that he is, with the exception of Gray, largely unfamiliar with. 

However, Boston has also struggled to get much production from its designated hitter spot, where the team's 85 wRC+ from the position is the sixth-lowest mark across the sport. 

Should Boston acquire Herrera, it could choose to DH him as he gets accustomed to working with the staff, while the catching staff makes defensive adjustments in hopes of improving his defensive metrics. 

Regardless of whether he plays catcher or spends his time as the team's DH, his bat would represent a major upgrade at both spots in the Boston lineup. 

WBZ and WEEI's Joe Weil joined the 'Entering Kenmore' podcast to discuss the Red Sox' miraculous midseason turnaround, their pursuit of upgrades ahead of the deadline, and more. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts or YouTube!

The MLB Trade Deadline is Aug. 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET.