The Red Sox swung big for Adley Rutschman at the deadline, and the early returns have been brutal.
Boston paid a massive price to land the 28-year-old catcher, surrendering its Nos. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 prospects.
The original reporting on the deal also included No. 17 prospect Harold Rivas, though that was later updated to a player to be named later, and that player turned out to be Rivas after all. However the paperwork settled, the cost was steep.
That gamble looked even worse when Rutschman came to New York with Boston and turned in an 0-for-4 night with two strikeouts against Cam Schlittler and the top end of the Yankees’ bullpen. Through 45 at-bats with the Red Sox, he’s hitting .133, with six hits, one home run, a .133/.255/.244 line, a 25.5% strikeout rate, and minus-0.1 fWAR over 12 games.
It’s a sharp fall for a player who still carries plenty of name value as a former first overall pick and three-time All-Star. But the numbers have been sliding for a while, and the wrist injury only added more risk to a deal that already looked expensive for a division trade.
Boston may still find some comfort in the glove. Rutschman is a strong defensive catcher, whether you’re talking framing, pitch blocking, or controlling the running game. That part of his game remains a real asset, even if the bat hasn’t followed.
Yankees fans know the feeling. Austin Wells has had his own offensive rough patches, and the usual consolation has been that at least he gives value defensively. Wells has also hit better since the All-Star break, slashing .235/.340/.370 for a 106 wRC+, which makes the overall package more tolerable.
Boston, meanwhile, cleared out the top of its farm system for a catcher who has not produced much at the plate and has already prompted talk of a mental reset and multiple games on the bench after a short honeymoon. The Red Sox were even reportedly considering an extension before that quick downturn.
Rutschman isn’t going to stay this bad forever, but the larger concern is what he really is even when things normalize. For the last couple of years, he’s been roughly a .670 OPS hitter, and that’s a tough return on what Boston gave up.
There’s also a ripple effect beyond this season. The trade likely pushes the Red Sox out of the catcher market in free agency, which leaves names like Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson with one fewer bidder. For the Yankees, that’s one more reason the deal looks like a win from afar.
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Kelenic has continued to show he can hit in the minors, even if that success has not yet translated into consistent results in the majors. For the Yankees, the appeal is less about an immediate big-league role and more about adding an experienced outfielder who could help the RailRiders as they push toward the postseason, while leaving open the question of whether there is still another step left in his career path. [Read more 🡒]
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Yankees Still Have Two September Holes And A Risky Triple A Answer
The Yankees came out of the trade deadline with Luis Garcia Jr., but the roster still has a couple of September questions hanging over it. Bullpen depth remains one of them, and the other is the kind of practical problem that tends to surface late in a season: who backs up the catcher when the games start piling up and the margin for error shrinks.
Triple-A offers a few possible answers, though none of them come without some risk. Luis Gil has flashed improved velocity on his fastball, Mitch Garver is in the conversation as a backup catcher option, and Eli Morgan has pitched well in recent Triple-A appearances. For a club trying to cover the final stretch without overcommitting, those internal options may be the most realistic path, even if the fit is not perfectly clean. [Read more 🡒]