Late last night, the Boston Red Sox made their first move in what is a highly anticipated trade deadline for them, sending lefty pitcher Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead. Between the two players involved, and the ramifications of the rest of this team, there’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get straight to it.
BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are trading left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2026
Who is Curtis Mead?
Mead used to be one of the best prospects in baseball, ranking 33rd on MLB’s top 100 prospects in 2023. He was the return for the Tampa Bay Rays in the Cristopher Sanchez trade. Mead has been struggling from team to team since his debut, including being designated for assignment and traded by the Chicago White Sox in March.
The Red Sox have been looking for a right handed power bat to pair alongside Willson Contreras since this past offseason, and while this is certainly an interesting choice, right now, he fits the need. He currently has hit 17 home runs with 48 RBIs (both career highs by far), also having an OPS of .852. There is an argument to be had that while he hasn’t done anything yet prior to this year, this year could be his breakout year.
Despite the good bat this year, and good advanced stats such as a .358 xwOBA, there’s one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb. His defense is troublesome. He has played first, second and third this year. Across all three, he has a -9 OAA (outs above average). That is way below average for him, which is why there’s been whispers already around him being a platoon DH with Masataka Yoshida. He’s certainly an interesting bat that could produce in the short term, but it’s a small sample size. There needs to be more production on his end to prove this was a good trade.
Connelly Early Gone
Early has been a surprise talking point coming up on the trade deadline. With the surplus of young lefties in the rotation/on the injured list, someone was going to have to be traded. And with the surprise breakout of former Nationals prospect Jake Bennett, it seems that Early was viewed as the bigger trade asset.
And it vaguely made sense. He doesn’t have the frame that Bennett or Payton Tolle has, and his FIP was a little concerning at 4.61. Throw in the elbow injury he sustained at the beginning of the month, and it seems as if Early was the odd one out. This season, he was 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA and 93 strikeouts with Boston. Should the Nationals keep Foster Griffin, Early can be a very good number three pitcher in the rotation for Washington, about where he was in the rotation for Boston.
Red Sox Questions For The Rest Of The Season
What Does This Mean For The Rotation as of Now?
For the rotation, there’s been several pitchers on the injured list, with Ranger Suarez just getting off of there and more importantly, ace and Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet still there. With Crochet still on there, the rotation lines get thin with the departure of Early. As of right now, Patrick Sandoval is the number five starter. And he’s not a bad option for a five, but for a pitcher that hasn’t gone past five innings in three starts due to an injury that kept him out two years, it’s a little concerning.
Should the Red Sox get a starter on the market, that might make things better depending on who. Someone like Michael Wacha, who has had previous success with the organization could fit in well with a rotation that may need a righty if Sonny Gray leaves next year.
If Mead Plays Infield, Where Would He Be?
Even with his struggles with fielding this year, there’s always a chance that he could play some infield and the big question would be where. A tweet about current third baseman Caleb Durbin came out that may seem a little concerning.
Caleb Durbin is willing to move to 2B if the Red Sox were to acquire a 3B at the trade deadline, he told @alexspeier. pic.twitter.com/HTURbXgBL1
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) July 25, 2026
This came out prior to the trade, so it may have been a little foreshadowing but if GM Craig Breslow and manager Chad Tracy really move Mead to third and Durbin to second, it would be a massive downgrade. Yes, having a solid second baseman would be good, but Durbin has been one of the best defensive third baseman in all of baseball with a DRS of 10 (only Matt Chapman has better).
Meanwhile Contreras is great at first, so he wouldn’t be replaced often if at all. Which leaves second, but the impact of that would be a decrease of playing time from someone such as Anthony Seigler, who has far more experience at the position. Mead’s best position is second base, but it’s such a small sample size (22 innings) that it feels weird to put him on the field with his glove instead of the DH spot.
What Does This Mean for Other Young Infielders on the Team?
With Mead coming in, Boston now has a controllable infielder through ‘28, and a guy who won’t be a free agent till ‘31. So that begs the question. What happened with guys such as Marcelo Mayer and top prospect Franklin Arias? Mayer is notably the only one of the “Big Three” prospects to have not received a contract extension, unlike Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony. He has also notably been brought up in possible trade rumors and questioned on roster spots. It may seem that as the season goes on, his spot is continuously going into jeopardy.
As for top prospect Arias, he has been crushing it this entire year, recently being called up to Triple-A Worcester. Some think he could debut as soon as September call ups, but realistically, it’s most likely within the first month of next season. But with his ascension, does Breslow think that Arias could be the centerpiece of a massive trade over the next week?
The Last Word
Overall, this trade is a huge risk, but high reward. Trading a young controllable pitcher who’s had moderate success so far in his second season for an infielder who may be stuck at the DH role is a huge risk, but should he continue to hit homers at the rate he has been, this should be a decent trade for a few years, as long as he doesn’t field often. But the future for this team due to this trade is up in the air. Also, for someone like Early, it feels like they could’ve gotten someone better. But time will tell with this trade, and hopefully things work out.
Main Photo: Brad Mills- Imagn Images
