Red Sox Linked to Cardinals’ $8.2M Star as Bold Aroldis Chapman, Jarren Duran Decisions Loom

The Boston Red Sox are heating up, and so is the trade chatter! After basically steamrolling the Colorado Rockies and the Nationals in back-to-back sweeps—five to be exact—Boston is right now sitting at 49-45. They suddenly look like they are over the Devers-Bregman shock and started looking like the team they were supposed to be this year. They are hitting, pitching, and defending like they mean it.

But while the vibes are vibing, reality is also knocking at the door—and it’s the fact that the roster still needs reinforcements. And some major shakeup needs to happen. Jeff Passan from ESPN, meanwhile, released a list of ideal trade fits for teams, and for the Red Sox, his name was clear—Ryan Helsey.

The Cardinals’ $8.2 All-Star closer is fresh off a league-leading 49-save season and boasts a power arsenal that could instantly lift Boston’s bullpen.

“Getting Helsley from St. Louis would give Boston arguably the top setup-closer combination in baseball and go a long way toward supporting a rotation that has been among the game’s best over the past month,” Passan wrote. Plus, pairing him with Aroldis Chapman, and suddenly, one has a nasty combo. But here is the real twist—what if Chapman is not sticking around? Well, despite being nearly untouchable this season with a 1.25 ERA, 53 strikeouts, and just a 7.4% walk rate, there is a growing chatter that Boston could trade him at the deadline.

MassLive Sean McAdam mentioned that the front office should let teams trip over themselves to get Aroldis Chapman, “Let teams trip over themselves and see what they’ll offer you. Even if they’re in it, I just think you can find somebody to close for the final two months… You can find a closer, but I don’t think you can pass up what people are going to offer for Aroldis Chapman.” It is ruthless for sure. But Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is not known to play nice, and if there is something he needs to do, he will. And the drama doesn’t stop there. There is left fielder Jarren Duran in the mix, too.

He was last year’s all-star MVP, and he could be another player on his way out. The Boston Red Sox have Roman Anthony as their everyday starter, and Rafaela is doing great at center field, and Masaraka Yoshida is back into the mix, so Durran might be the odd man out. McAdam mentioned positively, “They’re gonna have to trade Jarren Duran. It could happen by Jul. 31 at six o’clock, or it could happen in November or December, but it’s hard to imagine Jarren Duran being with this team in spring training for 2026.” So that’s the real kicker—even though the Sox are surging, the front office might need to make some ice-cold decisions. And this deadline is going to be far from quiet.

Boston Red Sox rookie catcher is quietly making some serious noise

Now, sure, the Boston Red Sox have made some eyebrow-raising decisions, whether it’s Mookie Betts or Rafael Devers. But not every deal has been a regret. In fact, one under-the-radar move with their archrivals is turning out to be quite a thing—cue in—Carlos Narvaez. When Boston got Narvaez from the Yanks in December, the same day they got Garret Crochet. He wasn’t a lock to even make the roster, let alone unseat Connor Wong as the team’s primary catcher. But fast forward to July, and Narvaez is not just holding his own; he is forcing people to talk.

He has been steady behind the plate and surprisingly dangerous with the bat. Just ask the Colorado Rockies. In Wednesday’s win, Narvaez slashed a home run and a double, and that power put him in an elite comparison. According to MassLive’s Christopher Smith, his 26 extra-base hits before the All-Star break are the second most by a Red Sox rookie catcher. He is behind only Carlton Fish, who had 40 back in 1972.

This is huge—a rookie who was not even supposed to see much action is chasing a legend! Right now, he is slashing .280/.354/.453 and hitting as high as third even in the lineup, which shows the confidence he has commanded from the team. Sure, with Bregman returning and Masataka Yoshida working his way back, his lineup spot might change, but his value won’t budge. Please, catching is tough, and the second half will only get tougher.

Do you think he can keep up or falter? Let us know.