The Boston Red Sox traded Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals on July 26 in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead. The Red Sox needed a bat for the playoff push. The Nationals got a young arm to build around.
Two months later, the two players have a combined two games for their teams. Early went on the injured list before the trade with left elbow inflammation. Mead fractured his left wrist in his first game after arriving in Boston.
On Saturday, Easrly finally made his first start for Washington.
Early’s Nationals Debut
Early started against the New York Mets on Saturday and threw three scoreless innings in what Washington limited to a 34-pitch outing. He allowed one hit and struck out one. His fastball touched 94.2 mph multiple times during the outing, right in line with the velocity he carried as a healthy member of the Red Sox rotation.
The workload was intentionally short given the nature of his throwing arm injury, but Early left the mound pleased with what he delivered.
“It ended up probably my cleanest three innings of the season,” Early said, per MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato.
Nationals manager Blake Butera made clear what the organization sees in Early going forward.
“He’s going to be a huge, huge part of this,” Butera said.
What the Red Sox Traded Away
Early was one of the more promising young arms in Boston’s system before the deal. The left-hander won the fifth-starter job in spring training and posted 93 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA across 91⅔ innings before elbow inflammation shut him down on July 1.
His final start as a Red Sox came against Washington. Now he pitches for them.
Early’s path to Saturday’s debut was not smooth. After the trade, he suffered a setback in his recovery that raised concerns about whether he would pitch again in 2026. He made it back with just enough time to get one start in before the regular season ends.
The fastball sat where it needed to. The command was there. For a pitcher who had not thrown in a game since June 30, the results could not have been much cleaner.
Where the Trade Stands Now
The Red Sox made the deal to get Mead’s bat into the lineup for the stretch run. That has not happened.
Mead fractured his wrist almost immediately after arriving and has spent nearly his entire time in Boston on the injured list. He took batting practice off a machine on Friday and traveled to Fort Myers for further workouts, but his availability for the Wild Card Series remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, Early just showed Washington what he can do when healthy. The Nationals are not contending this year, but they now have a left-hander with front-of-the-rotation upside under club control for years to come.
The trade may still work out for the Red Sox if Mead gets healthy and contributes in October or beyond. But right now, the player Boston gave up is the one making strides.
Final Word for the Red Sox
Mead’s bat, when healthy, addresses a real need for Boston. But the early returns have favored Washington. Early looked like the pitcher the Red Sox developed, and the Nationals are already talking about him as a cornerstone.
The Red Sox will evaluate this deal over years, not months. For now, they are focused on Tuesday and the Wild Card Series. Whether Mead is part of that remains to be seen.
Red Sox Get Notable Update on Curtis Mead Trade Before Playoffs