The Red Sox wasted no time getting into the trade market after their 15-game winning streak pushed them firmly into buyer territory.
Late on July 25, Boston pulled off an unexpected swap with Washington, sending left-handed pitcher Connelly Early to the Nationals for third baseman Curtis Mead, according to the first report from Jeff Passan. It was a strange opening move for a club that still has more deadline business ahead of it, but it immediately addressed a couple of obvious needs.
Mead gives Boston a right-handed infielder, which fits two boxes on the club’s wish list. The Adelaide, Australia native is in the middle of the best offensive season of his young career, hitting .254/.352/.500 with 17 doubles, a triple and 17 home runs in 87 games. He’s also been pulling the ball a career-high 47 percent of the time this season, a profile that should play well at Fenway Park and in a Red Sox lineup loaded with lefties with a pull AIR % of 22.8.
The bat comes with some defensive baggage. Mead has been a rough glove at third base, sitting at nine outs below average and minus-2 defensive runs saved.
That stands in sharp contrast to Caleb Durbin’s Gold Glove-caliber work, and after Boston’s July 25 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Durbin said he would move to second base if the team added a third baseman before the deadline. The Red Sox have not confirmed any plan for the two players yet.
For Boston, the part that jumps off the page is the price. Early has been leaned on heavily this season, and it’s jarring to see him moved in a deal like this when he could have been part of a larger package for a bigger name in the days ahead. Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle had already established themselves as rotation fixtures, too, and the Red Sox may be counting on them to keep taking steps forward.
Mead is still on a pre-arbitration contract, which helps explain why Boston was willing to part with such a promising arm. Even so, plenty of fans are likely to view this as an overpay for a player whose career has included only a few weeks of real offensive production. The Red Sox, though, have enough young pitching to absorb the hit, and the real verdict will come later.
One other thing stands out about the deal: Craig Breslow has shown a habit of dealing with the same front offices. The Cardinals and Pirates have been his most frequent partners, helped along by Boston ties in those organizations, and Washington now fits that pattern too.
Former Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni is running the Nationals, and he has already completed two trades with Boston. If the past is any guide, this may not be the last time these two clubs do business.
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Minnesota ultimately passed, keeping Ryan in place and betting on what he has delivered this season. He has been one of the steadier arms in the Twins rotation, and the decision to hold onto him leaves Boston to wonder how close it came to landing a pitcher it clearly valued enough to put real prospect capital on the table. [Read more 🡒]