I absolutely, 100% understand why the Boston Red Sox traded for Adley Rutschman at the trade deadline, even if they did give up a lot to get him.
It was a big risk. The Red Sox gave up some incredible prospects (Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and Harold Rivas) to get Rutschman; they traded with the Baltimore Orioles, a division rival; and he is set to be a free agent after the 2027 season.
At the same time, the Red Sox: 1) were in legitimate title contention at the time and were in the midst of their magical late-June-into-early-August streak (the trade deadline was on Aug. 3), 2) desperately needed a catcher if they wanted to compete -- Carlos Narvaez, Connor Wong, and Mickey Gasper (we thought) weren't going to cut it, and 3) didn't have a single better option at catcher either within the organization or on the market. He was an All-Star just this season.
The Rutschman trade has mostly been a disaster for the Red Sox so far. But given how much they gave up for him, they have no choice but to sign him to a potentially monstrous deal, and there is a real chance this entire move comes back to bite Boston.
Adley Rutschman left a lot to be desired with the Red Sox
I understand that Rutschman had dealt with injuries for pretty much his entire time in Boston (he was on the IL due to left wrist inflammation when the trade happened, and he dealt with a right elbow injury for parts of August and September), but that doesn't fully excuse how bad he looked.
In 32 games with the Red Sox this season, the Oregon native batted .222 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. And in the Wild Card series against the New York Yankees, he went 1-for-8 (.125) and struck out three times.
Rutschman did show some flashes, but he never found his groove at the plate. Maybe a full offseason in Boston can help, but it was still incredibly disappointing, seeing how bad he looked after the trade. And given that the Red Sox basically have to sign him to a new deal (on top of all the prospects they gave up, there is still objectively not a better option behind the plate for them), Rutschman's struggles put them in a tough spot.
The next time we see Rutschman, he's going to be 29 years old (maybe even 30, depending on what happens with the lockout). He is in the middle of his peak right now. I still have hope that he's going to turn things around and that this was just a slump and that a full offseason in Boston should help (let's also not act like virtually everyone in the Red Sox' lineup struggled after the trade deadline), but there's no denying that the early returns aren't great, and it looks like there is a world where the risk doesn't pay off in the end.
If Rutschman's struggles continue, this trade could become another big mistake by the Red Sox' front office.
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