The dream Red Sox trade packages if rumors of upgrading catcher are true

So much for that idea that the disappointing Boston Red Sox would overhaul their entire roster and sell at the trade deadline.

Wednesday’s 6-3 victory over the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader marked Boston’s 15th straight win, tying a franchise record. Not only do the Red Sox own the AL’s third and final Wild Card spot, but they’re suddenly only six games out of first place in the AL East.

But by no means should you assume the Red Sox are done yet, and we’re not talking solely about their winning streak. Less than two weeks remain until the deadline, and it’s hard to envision embattled lead baseball executive Craig Breslow standing pat.

Assuming that the Twins are ready to accept it’s time for them to sell, their next move is to see what the Red Sox would give up for catcher Ryan Jeffers.

The Red Sox must trade for Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers

The 29-year-old Jeffers is enjoying a stellar season at the perfect time. He entered play Wednesday hitting .287 with a .950 OPS, both of which are career highs. He's already recorded 2.1 bWAR in only 43 games, and his 5.2% home run percentage is his best mark yet.

Given Jeffers’ contract situation, I’m not sure the Twins would be able to fetch a top-15 prospect. Not unless they package him in a deal with Joe Ryan or Bailey Ober, in which case anything is on the table. But if Minnesota is open to trading Jeffers and Ryan, then they’ll almost certainly be landing at least a top-10 prospect in return.

If I were the Twins, I'd be asking for second baseman prospect Yoeilin Cespedes — and no, he’s not Yoenis’ younger brother. Although the Red Sox only list Yoeilin at 5-foot-8 and 181 pounds, he's shown impressive power throughout his four minor league seasons. 

Cespedes, who turns 21 in September, has 20 home runs, 16 RBIs, and a .777 OPS at High-A Greenville. MLB Pipeline considers him the Red Sox’s No. 15 prospect with a 2028 ETA.

“When he does make contact, his bat speed and strength allow him to produce high exit velocities,” his MLB Pipeline scouting report reads. “His right-handed swing and mindset are geared to drive the ball in the air to his pull side, and his best-case scenario may be as a power-over-hit guy who can provide 20 or more homers per season.”

A power-hitting second baseman always has a home at Target Field, as we saw with Brian Dozier throughout the mid-2010s. Very rarely do we see full-time second basemen reach the 40-home-run mark as he did in 2016. Granted, the Twins listed Dozier at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, so this comparison only goes so far.

At their current pace, the Red Sox may very well have a chance at home-field advantage in the Wild Card Round. Jeffers might not be the guaranteed final piece needed for the puzzle, but it’d be an aggressive move worth the risk. 

Leave it to a Red Sox team that fired its manager in April and was teetering on full-on collapse in mid-June to knock the postseason race and trade deadline on its heels.

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