For Orioles, trading Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox represents the end of an underwhelming era — what did they get in return?
What a difference a few months make. On July 1, the Boston Red Sox were 37-48. The postseason felt like a dream. The front office, led by beleaguered chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, was readying itself to sell at the deadline. Then the Sox caught fire, rattling off 15 straight wins to propel themselves back into a playoff spot and back into relevance.
That they are here now, acquiring a player such as catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles, is something nobody, not even Breslow, could have foreseen a few months ago.
For Boston, the deal makes sense. This organization has shown an ability to pop out high-level pitching prospects like a free vending machine. Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, in particular, have a chance to be impact starters for the Orioles. Yet there is nothing less reliable than a pitching prospect.
Rutschman gives Boston a massive upgrade at catcher, a spot where they've struggled to find consistent production. The deal also keeps the three-time All-Star away from the rival Yankees, who were reportedly interested in Rutschman's services. It's a sign that Breslow, so often criticized for his robotic demeanor and calculating comportment, is adding a bit more F-you into his approach. That's a good thing.
From Baltimore's perspective, this trade makes sense in a ruthless way. The O's are four games under .500 and 2.5 games out of a playoff spot entering play Monday. Rutschman is currently on the IL for the fifth time in the past 14 months. He hits free agency at the end of a 2027 season that is likely to be shortened by a labor dispute and, according to reports, hasn't been particularly open to an extension. Baltimore has another impact catcher in Samuel Basallo under contract for the long haul. In this deal, president of baseball operations Mike Elias was able to acquire an impressive quartet of prospects. And, most importantly, Rutschman has not performed at an elite level since the middle of 2024.
The analytical model of your choice probably loves this deal for the Orioles.
But life and fandom and baseball are much more than a simple value proposition. This deal represents the end of an era in Baltimore, an era that began with Rutschman's selection No. 1 overall in 2019. During his five-season tenure, the O's won a total of zero postseason games. That can be described only as a catastrophic failure. Much of that responsibility falls on Elias' shoulders.
That doesn't mean the O's won't end up winning this deal. They could be pretty good in 2027. Heck, they could still sneak into the postseason this year. But trading a heralded cornerstone such as Rutschman, particularly in-division, is a gut punch for a fan base that has been rope-a-doped into malaise for a decade now. The Orioles have not finished in the top half of MLB in attendance since 2015.
Fans were told that Rutschman would be the face of something special. For a while, that dream looked to be coming true. Baltimore played October baseball in 2023 and 2024. But injuries and underperformance and subpar roster-building have made the past two years an aimless slog. Trading Rutschman isn't unforgivable in and of itself; the path that got them here is what stings.
Elias, for all his wheeling and dealing, has simply not earned the benefit of the doubt. That's not to say he and his front office haven't had wins, but the entire body of work is so thoroughly underwhelming.
Eight years in, the results don't justify the process. — Mintz
Grading this return for the Orioles: A-
After the Red Sox acquired Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals in exchange for promising left-hander Connelly Early, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow revealed an interesting change in his thinking with the deadline approaching and Boston playing its best ball of the year. "I've tried to shift to our goal not [being] to win the trade," Breslow said. "Our goal is to make our major-league team better."
This sentiment might be a bit of an oversimplification, but it rings true in the wake of Boston's gigantic follow-up to the Mead addition: landing Rutschman from the AL East rival Orioles for an enormous package of prospects typically reserved for only the most elite of trade assets. While no return can make up for what moving on from Rutschman might signify in Baltimore, it's difficult to deny that this is exactly the caliber of haul that would be required to consider trading a player like him.
It starts with Witherspoon and Eyanson, Boston's first- and third-round picks in last year's draft out of Oklahoma and LSU, respectively. While Witherspoon was the earlier selection, it was Eyanson who wowed evaluators upon his entrance into pro ball, opening this season by allowing just two runs across his first 29 ⅓ innings with 42 strikeouts and just 10 hits allowed. Eyanson's secondaries (slider, changeup) flashed plus in college, but suddenly he was holding mid-90s velocity deep into starts, which he rarely did in Baton Rouge, while continuing to rack up whiffs. He blitzed his way to Double-A in short order. There, he has started to surrender a few more free passes than preferred, but opposing hitters have continued to struggle to do damage against him. As a result, he has launched himself into the upper-echelon of pitching prospects in the minors — not quite in the tippy-top group of Kade Anderson, Ryan Sloan and Seth Hernandez but firmly in the tier below that. A debut in 2027 is hardly out of the question, especially if Eyanson can hone the strike-throwing a bit.
Witherspoon, meanwhile, hasn't taken much of a leap since being selected 15th overall last summer, posting a 4.78 ERA across 17 starts in High-A. Velocity was his calling card in college, and he has continued to throw hard as a pro, but command woes and inconsistency with his secondaries have limited his effectiveness as a starter. There's work to do here — and the fact that Boston, known for its pitching development, was unable to get him trending in the right direction is notable — but Witherspoon will turn just 22 in a few weeks, and the arm talent is well worth developing as a starter for as long as possible.
Azocar is an exciting, young center fielder who has been one of the most productive teenage hitters in the minors this season, amassing an .880 OPS across both levels of A-ball. He has added significant strength since signing out of Venezuela in 2024, enabling a serious uptick in slugging that is rare from an up-the-middle player at this age. His plate discipline needs some polish, but he checks a lot of boxes for what premium position-player prospects look like, and the fact that he's producing in the low minors as a 19-year-old is an encouraging indicator. He's likely a couple of years away from the majors, but if it all comes together, the upside is tantalizing.
Narváez, the lone big leaguer in the return, is not an insignificant piece to reel back in for Baltimore. He finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last season, and while his offensive production has evaporated in his second year — his true talent level as a hitter is likely worse than what it was as a rookie (97 wRC+) but better than what it has been this year (47 wRC+) — he has continued to rate as an excellent defender. As the Orioles transition to the Samuel Basallo Era, Narváez is an ideal defensive-first backstop to pair with Basallo to ease his burden behind the dish.
For Boston, this is the kind of deal that screams "we think we can win the World Series" — or at least push for the pennant in a weak American League. That would've seemed preposterous just a few months ago, but after going 21-4 in July and sweeping the Dodgers in L.A., the Red Sox are flying high and have added an All-Star catcher to help on both sides of the ball. It's a bold and admirable gambit, considering the turbulence the Red Sox have endured during the Breslow tenure. But make no mistake: Boston paid a gigantic price to make this happen, so how this deal unfolds for both sides will be fascinating to monitor. — Shusterman
