The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals certainly are familiar with one another after swinging multiple trades over the last few years.
Last offseason, the Red Sox acquired both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from the Cardinals in two separate deals. There were also rumors out there that Boston was interested in Brendan Donovan as well, but he was traded to the Seattle Mariners. In 2025, the Red Sox acquired Steven Matz from St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline. Before the 2024 season, the Red Sox landed Tyler O'Neill from the Cardinals as well. All in all, these two teams are familiar with one another to the point where it would be a surprise if there wasn't some sort of trade buzz around the two this winter.
If that were to happen, the guy for Boston to target is catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera . Here's a mock trade the two sides should consider.
Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) celebrates his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Red Sox Receive: Catcher/Designated hitter Ivan Herrera
Cardinals Receive: INF Henry Godbout (Boston's No. 6 prospect), RHP Blake Wehunt (Boston's No. 16 prospect), RHP Kutter Crawford
In this deal, the Red Sox would land a 2026 All-Star with three seasons of team control left. Herrera can pack a punch in the middle of the lineup. In 2026, he slashed .241/.353/.382 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs in 161 games played. He took a bit of a step back from a batting average perspective, but the upside is there. In 2025, he slashed .284/.373/.464 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 107 games played.
He's just 26 years old and would fit in Boston's lineup as an everyday designated hitter. Plus, he can play catcher. The rumors have already begun indicating the Cardinals could be open to a move . So, if the Red Sox wanted more depth at the position behind Adley Rutschman , he could help fill in. Herrera isn't great defensively so it would still make sense to carry someone on the roster, like Connor Wong, but Herrera would give Boston another option.
In this mock trade, Boston would cut ties with a very intriguing infield prospect in Godbout , a starting pitcher prospect and Crawford as a throw-in. If you want to go out and get three seasons of team control from someone who would make a legit impact in the middle of the order, you have to give up a pretty penny. This deal would be that, but it would be worth it.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox 3-for-1 Trade Pitch to Land Ivan Herrera, Fix Power Problem .
