The Boston Red Sox finally closed the book on the Adley Rutschman blockbuster on Tuesday night, and the last piece to move was outfielder Harold Rivas.
Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com reported that Boston is sending Rivas to Baltimore as the player to be named later, finishing the trade that brought Rutschman to the Red Sox. Parker wrote, "To complete the Adley Rutschman trade with the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox are sending minor league OF Harold Rivas as the PTBNL, I’m told,"
Rivas had already been floated on social media when the deal first came together, though he was not part of the initial announcement. Now he officially is.
At the time of the trade, Boston had already agreed to send Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and catcher Carlos Narváez to Baltimore, plus the later-named player. That player turned out to be Rivas, who entered the deal as Boston’s No. 13 overall prospect.
Rivas is only 18 and is in his second season as a pro. Last year, he appeared in 46 games in the Dominican Summer League and hit .258/.393/.384 with a .777 OPS, two homers, 20 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, six doubles and four triples.
This season, he has played in 46 games for the FCL Red Sox and posted a .241/.343/.429 line with a .773 OPS, six home runs, 19 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, six doubles and four triples.
There’s clearly some upside there, but Boston was willing to part with a prospect that young because this was the price for landing Rutschman. The move already paid an immediate dividend Tuesday night, when Rutschman made his Boston debut and went 1-for-3 with two walks while handling things cleanly behind the plate.
He was the first All-Star catcher behind the plate for Boston since 2010, and the Red Sox are starting an All-Star catcher today for the first time in 5,792 days. October 2, 2010 was the last time an All-Star was behind the dish for Boston when Victor Martinez caught. Adley Rutschman is the first in nearly 16 years.
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The Adley Rutschman trade keeps revealing more layers for Baltimore, and the latest piece is a familiar kind of lottery ticket: a young outfielder with real tools and a long developmental runway. The Orioles received Harold Rivas from the Red Sox as the player to be named later, adding another prospect to a package that already brought back catcher Carlos Narvez, outfielder Enddy Azocar and pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon while Jake Rogers headed to Boston.
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