The Red Sox opened their offseason with a move that says plenty about where their roster stands: they traded Nate Eaton to the Athletics and picked up 18-year-old right-handed pitching prospect Jareth Rayo in return.
Boston’s first transaction of the winter came on October 29, just a day after the 2026 season officially ended on October 28. The club had already re-signed minor league reliever Angel Bastardo, but the Eaton deal was the one that cleared space on an overcrowded 40-man roster.
MLB insider Bob Nightengale first reported the trade, and Chris Cotillo of MassLive later confirmed it. Francys Romero reported that the Red Sox are getting Rayo, who threw 36 innings in the Dominican Summer League this year.
The timing makes the move a little surprising. Eaton had just made a playoff start in place of Roman Anthony after Anthony’s hand injury was re-triggered during the Wild Card series. Even with that kind of recent usage, Boston moved him quickly as the offseason got underway.
Roster math was always going to force the issue. The Red Sox are already overfull on the 40-man, and more players are set to come into the picture once the 60-day injured list clears. With relatively few free agents - Patrick Sandoval and Isiah Kiner-Falefa already reached free agency - Boston needed to create room somewhere.
There’s also a familiar front office connection here. The Athletics recently hired former Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith as their president of baseball operations, making him the youngest PBO in the league at 31.
That kind of link matters for Craig Breslow, who has already done business with former Red Sox executives before. He previously landed Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from Chaim Bloom, now with the St.
Louis Cardinals, and Ben Cherington, who runs the Pittsburgh Pirates, has often been a trade partner for Boston.
Eaton spent most of the 2026 regular season with Triple-A Worcester, where he hit .253/.338/.410 with 16 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 81 strikeouts and 37 walks across 84 games. He got into 24 major league games, mostly late in the year after Ceddanne Rafeala and Eli White were hurt, and he hit .160/.300/.260 with two doubles, one home run, 16 strikeouts, eight walks and two stolen bases.
Even with the light bat, Eaton brings something teams want. He has 96th percentile speed and can move around the diamond, with experience in both the infield and outfield. That kind of versatile, speedy profile fits the A’s style, while the Red Sox simply had too many bodies in too many places.
Boston has enough infield depth already with Franklin Arias, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and maybe Mikey Romero in the mix, while the outfield still includes Jarren Duran, White and Jahmai Jones. Eaton was useful, but not essential.
And with the roster squeeze only getting tighter, this may not be the last small trade the Red Sox make before the expected lockout this winter.
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