With the Boston Red Sox now suddenly on the verge of a playoff spot, a team that once looked like an obvious trade deadline seller may become a buyer.
The front office will surely have to monitor these next two and a half weeks before the August 3rd deadline closely before any decisions are made. But if the Red Sox linger around the final Wild Card spot at the right time, it seems likely that they will look for opportunities to bolster the roster.
One way they could do this would be trading for Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who is thought to be available as he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
The Twins, who currently sit a half game up on the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race, may be hesitant to move on from such an impactful player. While he missed close to two months with a broken left hamate, Jeffers is slashing an impressive .292/.404/.538 with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 39 games.
The 29-year-old has looked like himself since coming off of the IL last Friday, notching an extra-base hit in his first two games back. Even if Minnesota stays in the mix, it would be sensible business to at least see what they can get for Jeffers before he walks in free agency.
Ryan Jeffers is a perfect target for the Red Sox
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
It's no secret that the New York Yankees covet Jeffers. With primary catcher Austin Wells slashing just .155/.247/.258, they will undoubtedly be looking to patch their hole behind the dish at the deadline.
But the Red Sox have similar concerns. After a breakout rookie season in 2025, Carlos Narváez has struggled to get things going offensively, slashing just .188/.257/.266 through 55 games.
Connor Wong is having an improved year at the plate, batting .288 in 41 games, but remains a lower ceiling option and will continue to yield much of his playing time to the stronger defender in Narváez. Both right-handed hitting catchers saw their starts cut drastically when switch-hitting Mickey Gasper was called up in May, but neither has taken a huge step forward since he was sent back down to Triple-A in June.
If the Sox go after Jeffers, it wouldn't be the first time Craig Breslow added a 29-year-old right-handed hitting catcher at the deadline. In 2024, when the team teetered on the line of buying and selling, the first-year Chief Baseball Officer settled on a deal with Toronto for Danny Jansen. Ultimately, the move wasn't enough to move the needle and Boston missed the playoffs, which could motivate Breslow to take a bigger swing this time around.
Adding Jeffers wouldn't just mean shoring up a weakness. It would also be a chance to take a clear target off the board for the club's rival and American League roadblock in New York.
The Yankees may try to shoot higher for a player like Colorado's Hunter Goodman, who is having a fantastic season with 27 home runs. But this would require going all out with what they offer considering Goodman is still an ascending talent at just 26 years old. Without Jeffers as a safer backup plan, the Goodman pursuit could get even more dire and uncomfortable for the Yankees who almost certainly need to add at the position.
It's still no guarantee that the Red Sox buy at all. There is still hope for Narváez to find a rhythm at the plate, and they are expecting returns from potential power bats in Trevor Story and Roman Anthony. But if they do stick their neck out there for a 2026 push, acquiring Jeffers could be the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.
