I liked Connelly Early as much as the next guy, but I don't think it was ridiculous for the Boston Red Sox to trade him, even for Curtis Mead.
Early clearly has talent (through 21 games across two seasons, he has a 3.24 ERA and a 3.21 SO/BB ratio), but the Red Sox already have a ton of talent in their rotation.
Once Garrett Crochet returns (assuming he does at any point this season), Boston was going to make a big change to the rotation anyway, and Early was likely going to be the odd man out. Especially this season, he wasn't going to be ranked higher than Ranger Suarez or Sonny Gray. Plus, Payton Tolle is a little bit younger (even if it doesn't look that way), and his incredible velocity makes him a more intriguing pitcher, and Jake Bennett has been lights out with the team so far.
The Red Sox weren't wrong to trade Early. And especially if Mead turns out to be the right-handed power bat they need, then it might end up being a good move for the team once it's all said and done.
Boston needs Curtis Mead to live up to expectations after the trade
Even if there were solid reasons for the Red Sox to trade Early, they still better hope that Mead turns into the player they hope he can be, since this was a bit of a risky trade.
They have been looking for a right-handed power bat to add to the lineup, and there are reasons to think Mead can become that. The Australian native has already hit a career-high 17 home runs through 87 games this season (his previous career-high was three in 2025 across 90 games), and he's batting a career-best .254 at the plate as well.
On paper, Mead would be one of the Red Sox' best hitters this season if he had spent the whole year with the team, and given their uncertainty at second base, he could be a great addition to the team.
But this is also a pretty small sample size. He had been phenomenal with the Washington Nationals this season, but he was mediocre-to-average during his first three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox (.238 BA, .617 OPS, 5 HRs, 31 RBIs, 114 strikeouts across 152 total games). Maybe he's actually figuring things out, or maybe he's just having a hot year.
Either way, the success of this trade ultimately falls on Mead. This move was worth it for Boston to make, but that doesn't make it any less risky.
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