The Boston Red Sox landed their catcher at the deadline, acquiring three-time All-Star Adley Rutschman in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
The Orioles sent Rutschman and fellow catcher Jake Rogers, along with cash considerations, to their American League East rivals in exchange for major league catcher Carlos Narvaez, right-handed pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later or cash.
Rutschman, 28, is currently in the middle of his third injured list stint of the season. He was placed on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation on July 20 after previously missing time with a concussion and with left ankle inflammation.
When healthy, though, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft has been effective. He hit .251 with eight homers and 47 RBIs in 67 games this season for the Orioles and is a career .254 hitter with 69 homers and 277 RBIs in 572 games since his major league debut in 2022.
Rutschman will be a free agent ahead of the 2028 season after his final year of arbitration in 2027, giving Boston 1 1/2 years of control.
The Orioles had just acquired Rogers, 31, from the Detroit Tigers on July 30 amid their injury issues at the position. Rogers only played in three games for Baltimore and went 1-for-5 with one walk. In parts of six seasons with Detroit, he was a .197 hitter with 47 homers and 138 RBIs.
Narvaez, 27, hit .187 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 62 games during his second season with Boston.
Eyanson, 21, is the Red Sox’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 49 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The third-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft is 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) in his first season of professional ball, with 10 of those starts coming at Double-A Portland.
Witherspoon, 21, was Boston’s first-round draft pick (15th overall) in 2025 and is the organization’s fourth-ranked prospect. He’s 3-5 this season with a 4.78 ERA in 17 starts for High-A Greenville.
Azocar, 19, is hitting .286 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs over 85 games between Class-A and High-A this season.
–Field Level Media
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