Chaim Bloom could try to rob Red Sox again with 1 more Cardinals blockbuster trade

The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox became quite familiar with each other last offseason, getting together on a pair of blockbuster deals that sent veterans from the Gateway City to Beantown. The early returns on both deals are promising for both sides; Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray have been the two best players on a resurgent Red Sox team, while the Redbirds opened up playing time for younger players who have keyed their own surprising success this season.

Well, it just so happens that Craig Breslow fired the starting gun on the trade deadline proceedings over the weekend, trading yet another talented starting pitcher (Connelly Early) for an up-and-coming slugger (Curtis Mead). It was the first true blockbuster of the season and a loud announcement that Boston plans to be aggressive after its recent 15-game winning streak.

Naturally, we have to ask: Does that mean Chaim Bloom and Breslow will swing another deal this summer? Despite both possessing winning records this year, the Cardinals and Red Sox are trying to walk a tightrope between contention and building for the future. There's a trade to be made here, especially if Bloom can poach another top pitching prospect from his old stomping grounds.

Red Sox, Cardinals match up perfectly on an Iván Herrera-for-pitching trade

With Mead set to take over at second base, the Red Sox now have three glaring needs on their roster: catcher, shortstop, and left-handed relief pitching. While the Cardinals could technically help out at each of those spots, a trade of Masyn Winn might be hard to pull off mid-season, while JoJo Romero's appendicitis could ruin his stock.

That leaves us with just one position, but thankfully, the Redbirds are loaded with catching depth. It also works out that the worst defender of the bunch, Iván Herrera, would likely be the player the Red Sox pursue.

Thanks to his age (26), remaining team control (3.5 years), and production (114 wRC+, .748 OPS), Herrera is exactly the kind of controllable right-handed slugger Boston just splurged on in Mead, and he'd be a menace in Fenway Park if he committed himself to increasing his rate of fly balls to his pull side. The Red Sox also already have a defensive savant behind the plate (Carlos Narváez) who would form a nice tandem with the offensive-minded Herrera.

If their decision to part with Early is any indication, the Cardinals could get a really nice return in a trade involving Herrera. Payton Tolle is almost certainly untouchable, but Kyson Witherspoon (2025 first-round pick) or Anthony Eyanson (fast-rising top-100 prospect) would make for one heck of an addition to the farm system.

This isn't to suggest that trading Herrera is all that likely or even advisable -- his presence in the middle of the lineup has been a huge piece of the Cardinals' success this year. But primary DH types aren't particularly value, especially with there being so much catching depth elsewhere in the organization. If Bloom can coax at least one top pitching prospect and another MLB-ready player out of Breslow, it would be hard to turn down that kind of haul at the deadline.

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