Coming into the day on Monday, it was clear that the Boston Red Sox wanted to go “big-game hunting.” They did that and more, making one of the biggest moves at the Trade Deadline by landing Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman.
The immediate question then became, what did the Red Sox send to the Orioles? It was a massive haul on paper. Five players are going to Baltimore. That includes MLB catcher Carlos Narvaez, Red Sox No. 2 prospect Anthony Eyanson, MLB Pipeline No. 4 organizational prospect Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later.
This comes at a time when Rutschman has been dealing with some injury issues, and in a season where his bat has seemingly taken a step in the wrong direction. At 28 years old, Rutschman is hitting .251 with a .331 OBP, a .433 slugging percentage, and a .764 OPS. Baseball Savant has him at the 58th percentile for Batting Run Value, but he is an impressive 96th percentile for Fielding Run Value.
Still, on paper, it was an overpay by the Red Sox. So, plenty of fans and baseball minds have been openly critical of the deal.
“I’m absolutely dumbfounded by this. This is literally one of the most ridiculous trades I’ve seen in 30 years,” the rival exec told Sean McAdam.
Some Believe the Boston Red Sox Sent the Baltimore Orioles ‘Damaged Goods’
GettyAnthony Eyanson at the Futures Game
Despite that commonly held belief that the Boston Red Sox overpaid for Adley Rutschman, that’s not the consensus. In fact, at least one rival front office member believes Boston sent damaged goods to Baltimore.
While making an appearance on Foul Territory, reporter Lance Brozdowski explained what he had heard after he went looking for answers about what happened.
“One more year of control. It’s not every day you can get a 4-WAR projected catcher for one more season. Who knows what will happen with the CBA… The weird thing to me with that transaction is like the Red Sox gave up — this is an exaggeration — two of the three arms that they drafted in ’25 that they paid a ton of money in bonus to… So, I am confused on that one. Initially, when I saw it, I went, ‘That package is insane.’ From my perspective, both those arms are Major League arms, Eyanson and Witherspoon. You get a replacement catcher in Narvaez, who was a 2-WAR catcher last season. The outfielder in that transaction seems like he’s interesting but he’s way off. A-ball guy,” Brozdowski said.
“For one year of Adley, I don’t know. It’s a tough one for me. I texted someone in another front office, and he said the Orioles got duped on that transaction, where they’re basically taking on damaged goods in Eyanson and Witherspoon.”
Eyanson and Witherspoon are the highlights of the return for Baltimore. This season, Eyanson has been phenomenal, with a 1.69 ERA in the minors this year. Meanwhile, Witherspoon has a 4.78 ERA. Neither is currently injured.
Meanwhile, Narvaez is slipping from the success he had in 2025. After having a 2.8 WAR in 2025, he’s slipped to a -0.5 WAR and lost his role as the everyday Red Sox catcher. In fact, those struggles are a major reason why the Red Sox went after Rutschman.
It Was a Busy Trade Deadline for the Boston Red Sox
GettyA prominent Red Sox insider dropped a revealing hint about Craig Breslow’s future as pressure continues to build on Boston’s front office.
After months of seemingly being sellers at the Trade Deadline, the Boston Red Sox ended up being buyers in a major way. That started about a week before the Trade Deadline, when CBO Craig Breslow sent Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead.
Unfortunately, Mead fractured his wrist in his first game with the Red Sox. The hope is he’ll be back at some point, given that the fracture doesn’t need surgery, but it won’t be immediate help.
Then, on Trade Deadline day, the Red Sox would make a major splash with the Adley Rutschman deal. They were far from done. The Red Sox also moved on from former top prospect Marcelo Mayer, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Erik Miller, a power-throwing lefty reliever. Meanwhile, the Red Sox also made an under-the-radar move with the Atlanta Braves, trading Tyler Uberstine for Eli White.
What the Red Sox didn’t end up doing was adding a star shortstop or starting pitching depth. Both had been rumored leading into the deadline.
No team was hotter going into the Trade Deadline than the Red Sox. Craig Breslow looked to make a splash, and if he landed it, it could send Boston to the playoffs. If not, then there is always the hot seat for Breslow to return to.
Red Sox Sent Haul to Orioles for Adley Rutschman; Could it be ‘Damaged Goods?’