Former MLB GM's mock Red Sox trade would be a Yankees' disaster of epic proportions

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers is the apple of the New York Yankees' eye. With that said, the Twins are hanging around in the American League playoff race, and the longer they can stick around the less likely it is they deal their star backstop. Even if they do make him available, Jeffers will have plenty of suitors, including the Tampa Bay Rays.

The next best option — and some might argue the superior option — would be power-hitting Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. The Rockies are going nowhere and could move Goodman, but they'll have to be blown away.

Jim Bowden, also of The Athletic, thinks one team might have the goods to convince Colorado to part with the 26-year-old, and it's not the Yankees. No, instead, it's the Boston Red Sox.

Bowden's mock trade sends 24-year-old Red Sox southpaw Connelly Early, right-handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon (No.4 in Boston's system), infielder Marcelo Mayer, and former Yankees backstop Carlos Narvaez to Denver in exchange for Goodman.

Early has No. 2 starter potential and is under team control through 2031. Witherspoon was Boston's first-round pick in 2025 and also could turn into a front-of-the-rotation arm. Mayer has had a tough season, but the 23-year-old was a highly touted prospect and hasn't underperformed long enough for his value to tank. Lastly, Narvaez is no great shakes, but he might have more value than Austin Wells right now.

It would be an offer that might be hard for New York to match, especially since there are other pressing needs like the bullpen, a solution on the left side of the infield, and bench help to consider.

The trade deadline catcher market could shape up as a Yankees' doomsday scenario

In a world where the Yankees lose out on Jeffers to the Rays, and Goodman lands in Boston, New York could be in a world of hurt. Shea Langeliers might be available as a savior, but the Athletics don't have to trade him anytime soon. Much like Goodman and the Rockies, they'd need to be overwhelmed.

Both the Rays and the Red Sox have farm systems that are more highly regarded than the Yankees' pipeline, and that could make all the difference in these pursuits.

Additionally, if Brian Cashman emptied the farm for Jeffers or Goodman, it would not only be out of character, but it would severely handcuff him from making the other deals necessary to improve the club. At a certain point, upgrading the catcher position isn't worth it if it leaves holes across the rest of the roster.

The catch-22 is that if Cashman takes that approach, he risks his chief rivals landing the kind of substantial upgrades that could leave the Yankees in the dust in the AL East race.

His alternatives would be getting extorted by the Orioles for Adley Rutschman, who might as well come with a buyer-beware sign stamped to his forehead given his .218/.309/.362 line since May 1 that is eerily similar to the .220/.307/.366 performance he put up during his thoroughly underwhelming 2025 campaign.

Otherwise, it means dumpster diving for solutions while division foes land game-changing upgrades. There are still a lot of different ways that things can play out between now and August 3, but the looming risk is large and, frankly, very scary.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow