As usual we'll start with who did they give up? Harold Rivas is an 18 year old Venezuelan teenager that hit .241 with 6 home runs for the Florida Complex Red Sox this season. The true definition of a throw-in. Enddy Azocar is a 19 year old Venezuelan teenager that was promoted to Greenville this season and hit 12 home runs in 46 games before the trade. The 21 year old Witherspoon was Boston's first round pick last season who was struggling going 3-5 with a 4.78 ERA for Greenville. The centerpiece was Anthony Eyanson, the 21 year old phenom that dominated the Portland Sea Dogs before becoming the Worcester Red Sox' ace, going 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. Tyler Uberstine was a 19th round pick back in 2021 who bounced back from Tommy John surgery to earn a cup of coffee in April with Boston. He had a 2.81 ERA for Worcester at the time of the trade. Finally Marcelo Mayer is now considered one of the biggest busts in franchise history. Taken 4th overall in the 2021 draft, Mayer managed to suffer mid-season injuries three seasons in a row including the minors and never return. When he was active in 2025 and this season, he hit .223 in 114 games. At least Jed Lowrie hit well when he was healthy, Mayer couldn't even do that. Narvaez was traded to the Red Sox the same day they got Garrett Crochet last year after a 6 game cup of coffee with the New York Yankees in 2024. He was everything they could have asked for in 2025 hitting .241 with 15 home runs becoming the starting catcher. This year he was mysteriously benched by Alex Cora in early April for being late to a pre-game meeting and then completely collapsed after. He was hitting .187 with 3 home runs at the time of this trade. The rumor (which may not be true) is his wife caught him cheating and publicly blasted him. Think Troy O'Leary in 2000 situation. The bottom line is the Sox are parting with all these youngsters banking on A. winning this year and B. there is no next year.
Now who did they get? Eli White is a utility outfielder that hit 10 home runs last year in 105 games and can play all 3 outfield positions. White is another Jahmai Jones type that's good against lefties but all but useless against righties. This was strictly a depth move to get guys rest moving forward. Jake Rogers is a backup catcher who's best year was in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers hitting .286 with 21 home runs. He was traded from the Tigers on July 30th to the Orioles and played just 3 games. As a backup catcher, he'll be battling Connor Wong for playing time unless the Sox dump one of them after Adley Rutschman comes back. Speaking of which, Rutchsman is the centerpiece of the deal. The first overall pick of the 2019 draft, he was supposed to be the franchise cornerstone catcher they haven't had in...ever really, unless you count Matt Wieters. He was second in AL Rookie of The Year voting in 2022 and made the all-star team in 2023 hitting .277 with 20 home runs. He hit .250 with 19 home runs in 2024 but fell off in 2025, hitting .220 in 90 games. He's battled a wrist injury this season but still hit .251 with 8 home runs before going on the Injured List on July 19th. Finally, Erik Miller is the lefty relief pitcher they desperately needed. He also was drafted in 2019 like Rutschman and made his ML debut in 2024. He's been virtually unhittable the last two seasons with a 1.50 ERA in 2025 and 2.76 this season. His problem is control, he walks as many batters as he strikes out. Still, if he can harness that control or be used properly, he's a weapon out of the bullpen for sure.
So as usual let's go glass half empty and half full. The half empty is Craig Breslow just said screw the future, let's win now. If it doesn't work, it sets them back years. Connelly Early, Carlos Narvaez, Marcelo Mayer, Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon were supposed to be the future and now all of them are gone. If there is no season in 2027, when 2028 comes around they are going to be screwed if a salary cap has been established. They won't be able to pull a Tampa Bay Rays and build through the draft because all their studs are gone. As for this year, Rutschman is already injured, Rogers and White are just backups and Miller has control issues. Rutschman and Miller might blow up in Breslow's face and you sacrificed the future for THEM? Not to mention Eyanson looked like the real deal and with all the lefties the Sox have, they needed a right handed ace to replace Sonny Gray when the time came. Now they got nothing. Also, who knows if Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet even come back this season. Rutchsman might play 20 games before going on the Injured List saying his wrist is screwed. Then you're stuck with Connor Wong and Jake Rogers the rest of the season and god forbid either one get hurt. Fans remember the Sox trading for Eric Hosmer in 2022 and he lasted two weeks. Or they remember James Paxton, Rich Hill, Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia in 2024 and none of them lasted beyond August. This is the crap shot of the century, a 100 foot birdie putt and a blindfolded bullseye dart toss all rolled into one.
The glass half full is FINALLY they said screw the future, we need to win now. The rest of the American League is weak with only the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees any real threats, and the Yankees are down 3 guys on offense as well. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros are all .500 teams so if the Sox bolster their lineup and bullpen with an already stacked rotation, they have as good as shot as anyone. Rutschman on top of being a switch hitter is also a fantastic defensive catcher. He calls games as good as anyone and is an elite framer. If he comes back healthy, their defense is as improved as their offense. White and Rogers bolster the team depth, especially with the second half of the season being a slog. They can give guys days off and keep guys from wearing down. White can play all three outfield positions and even though all three outfielders Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran are damn good defensively, White can spell them in later innings on days they're down or up by 5 runs. Lastly, Miller is the lefty reliever they desperately needed. Remember when one of the only losses in July was Dylan Cease tossing a complete game shutout? That's why the Sox got Rutschman and Mead, to give the Sox more right handed options to face a guy like that. The other night Sox manager Chad Tracy brought in Jovani Moran to face Shohei Ohtani and Ohtani hit an absolute moonshot. Breslow realized that in the playoffs, you're going to have to do better than Moran against elite lefty hitting players. Miller when he's not walking the ballpark is the guy you bring in to face Ohtani, Ben Rice and Yordan Alvarez late in a game. Not to mention if he's on, the bullpen is now six guys deep. On a night Jake Bennett goes six innings, you bring in Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Now the following night if Payton Tolle goes six innings, now you have Miller along with Tyron Guerrero and Greg Weissert to fill in as the B-Team. If you're way behind you still have Ryan Watson and Brayan Bello to keep you in games rather than makes things worse (unless Johan Oviedo replaces Watson). The Sox are going for it this season just 5 games back of the best record in the American League. If Rutschman, Miller and Mead eventually work out, Breslow will be seen as a genius.
So there you have it. Lot of people are mad they gave up A LOT for these guys while others are happy they finally grew some balls and traded prospects for proven talent. Rutschman seems like a huge overpay but if he's launching bombs out of Fenway in October, they'll be thanking Breslow. If Rutschman barely plays and Miller can't handle the pressure in Boston, Breslow will be on the unemployment line in October.
The Sox are back in action tomorrow night against the Chicago White Sox at home. Davis Martin goes for Chicago against Captain TBD of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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