The Boston Red Sox have acquired switch-hitting All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for top prospect Anthony Eyanson, catcher Carlos Narvaez, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, top prospect right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, and a player to be named later.
The Red Sox were active early on in the trade market after acquiring infielder Curtis Mead on Saturday, July 24th. In his second at-bat, things changed drastically when a pitch got him in the wrist in only his second at-bat. He ended up getting a fracture on his wrist and won't return until late September, if at all.
Sadly, CBO Craig Breslow had to pivot, and pivot he did.
Adley Rutschman can be a great addition to the Red Sox
Rutschman was one of the most hyped prospects in baseball back in 2021, being No. 2 overall in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. His best seasons were in 2022 and 2023, the first two years in which he rose onto the scene with the Orioles. He had a slash line of .268/.369/.439 with an OPS of .808, with 33 home runs, 122 RBIs, 66 doubles, and 264 hits in 1,157 at-bats. Something worth noting as well is his career strikeout rate, which is at 15.8, an elite range for a hitter, especially a switch-hitter like him. His career walk rate is notable as well, at 11.7.
The 2023 Silver Slugger has also been outstanding with the glove, with elite framing behind the plate. With doubts about his arm early on in his career, he improved his pop time to be elite as well, at 1.95 this season. He hasn't won a Gold Glove, but that may change soon if things improve on catching runners stealing.
Right now, Rutschman is under control until after the 2027 season and is currently in his second year of arbitration, being paid $7.3 million this year by the Orioles.
For the Red Sox, this is a great get, and it shows their aggressiveness for the second time in the past two weeks. He's currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation.
Breslow goes down the connection route once again with his opposing GMs, with Mike Elias and him both going to Yale University. It shows that Breslow is comfortable with people he's familiar with, like former Red Sox President Chaim Bloom, getting both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras this past offseason from the St. Louis Cardinals.
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