The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals have completed a trade, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Washington will acquire left-handed pitcher Connelly Early, and the Red Sox will get breakout third baseman Curtis Mead.
This season, Early has emerged from the shadows to help aid a beleaguered Red Sox rotation back into competitiveness.
He throws a plethora of pitches and mixes his speeds well. With a great feel for his fastball and a slider with good depth, Early possesses the strikeout stuff that Washington needs.
Mead, who was once a top prospect in the Rays system, has finally broken out this year with the Nationals.
The right-handed-hitter is slashing .256/.351/.505. Good for an OPS of .856 and an OPS+ of 136, placing him 36% above league average.
The Red Sox have had almost nobody to cover third base duties since All-Star Alex Bregman departed for the North Side of Chicago last offseason. Acquiring Mead will grant the Sox another big bat in an already powerful lineup.
Boston is in the midst of a heater, in which they won 14 straight games to place them back in contention for a postseason spot.
On the other end of this swap, the Nationals are clinging on for dear life in a jumbled National League Wild Card race.
Both teams seem to be in the thick of it, and this move seems to make sense for both of them. D.C. nets a reliable arm of the future for a rotation with a lot that remains up in the air, and Boston nabs a premier power bat at the hot corner, finally replacing Bregman in July.
At first glance, it seems like a fair swap, but as always, only time will tell with a trade.
Fans are going crazy over the first big trade of the deadline.
Social Media Reacts to Red Sox/Nationals Trade
Here’s what people are saying:
Jeff Passan: “BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are trading left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, sources tell ESPN.”
That guy from that website: “Mead adds some much needed power to the Red Sox lineup. His 17 home runs and .505 slugging percentage are both second on the club, only to Contreras. Mead has mostly played 3B and 1B this year. Presumably he pushes Durbin to 2B.”
Just Baseball: “The Washington Nationals are acquiring Connelly Early from the Red Sox in exchange for Curtis Mead, per @JeffPassan. Early has a 3.44 ERA across 91.2 IP in his rookie season.”
Pat Ragazzo: “Had heard the Red Sox were floating Connelly Early on the trade market. Now a deal comes to fruition. Fun fact: the Phillies traded Curtis Mead for Cristopher Sanchez in a deal with the Rays back in the 2019-2020 offseason.”
@BaseballWRLD_: “I mean he’s likely a good 4 imo and he’s still just a rookie which is valuable? I don’t think this is the best they could get for Early but it depends how they view Mead Red Sox also have somewhat of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to pitching rn so I don’t hate trading Early.”
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