Adley Rutschman trade grades: Did Boston overpay for All-Star catcher? - Boston.com
The Boston Red Sox addressed a significant flaw in their lineup on Monday ahead of the trade deadline — acquiring three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles. But Boston paid a steep price to pry the 28-year-old catcher away from a divisional opponent, with the Red Sox trading Carlos Narvaez and prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later or cash considerations to Baltimore. All three of Eyanson, Witherspoon, and Azocar were ranked as top-six prospects in Boston’s system, per SoxProspects.com — with Eyanson and Witherspoon standing as the club’s next wave of pitching talent. One talent evaluator even told MassLive’s Sean McAdam that the Red Sox’ move was “literally one of the most ridiculous trades I’ve seen in 30 years.” But even with the sizable return that the Orioles secured from Boston, was Monday’s deal a move that benefited all parties? Here’s what several baseball experts are saying about the Red Sox’ top move from Monday: The Athletic Red Sox Grade: A & B+ Orioles Grade: A & A- Despite Boston’s significant prospect drain, both Chad Jennings and Tyler Kepner argued that both the Red Sox and Orioles addressed some needs with this swap — with Baltimore replenishing its roster ahead of a rebuild and the Red Sox addressing a critical flaw ahead of the stretch run of the 2026 season. “The Red Sox took a massive swing by trading for a player who was supposed to be the cornerstone of a division rival and will instead fill a position where the Red Sox haven’t had an All-Star since Jason Varitek retired in 2011 (we’re not counting A.J. Pierzynski, who was well past his All-Star years when he arrived for a partial season in 2014),” Jennings wrote. “There’s a lot of long-term risk here because of the star potential heading to Baltimore, and this could be a Red Sox F in the long-term analysis,” he added. “But this is what an all-in move looks like, and the Red Sox finally made one.” USA Today Red Sox Grade: B+ Orioles Grade: B USA Today’s Kristie Ackert actually gave Boston the edge in this trade, given both the evident upgrade that Rutschman represents on the Red Sox catching corps and the uncertainty that comes with putting one’s hopes on unproven prospects. “Boston had the worst catching in the division and just got the best. Conor Wong and Narvaez combined for a .615 OPS this year, 25th in baseball,” Ackert wrote. “Narvaez by himself was hitting .187. Rutschman is at .251 with eight homers, 47 RBI and a .764 OPS, and by the expected number he’d been as good at the break as any year of his career except 2023.” “The Red Sox paid up,” Ackert added. “Eyanson is the 49th-best prospect in the game. Witherspoon went 15th overall a year ago for $5 million and was the best college righty in that draft. That’s a lot of arm to give away, but Breslow paid because the Yankees and Rays were circling as well.” CBS Sports Red Sox Grade: A Orioles Grade: C Dayn Perry acknowledged that the Red Sox gave up a lot to bring in Rutschman. But from Perry’s perspective, Rutschman’s talents justify the cost, while the Orioles earned a poor grade for starting another roster sell-off just a few years removed from a 2023 campaign where they won 101 games. “The addition of Rutschman doesn’t fill all the Sox’s deadline needs, but it does address a leading weakness in the lineup and make that lineup deeper,” Perry wrote. “Not only does Rustchman upgrade the catcher position in the here and now, but the remaining full year of team control gives Boston certainty at the position through next year. “That’s also plenty of runway to work out an extension before Rutschman reaches free agency, should both sides have any interest. There’s an added bonus here, as the Red Sox will now keep Rutschman out of the Yankees’ hands. The Yankees need a catcher perhaps worse than Boston did, and they had reported interest in Rutschman.” FOX Sports Red Sox Grade: B Orioles Grade: B Both Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar gave Boston and Baltimore matching “B” grades for this swap — but noted that the Orioles could make out as the clear victors if their influx of young arms thrive in due time. “Grading this one is tricky,” they wrote. “The return is massive for Baltimore, and a couple of years from now, when Eyanson and Witherspoon are dominating in the O’s rotation, maybe we view this move as a turning point for the franchise. “Still, it has to be gut-wrenching for Orioles fans to see the topsy-turvy Rutschman era come to an end like this, watching him play for a division rival at 28 years old.” ESPN Red Sox Grade: C+ Orioles Grade: A ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield were more critical of the Red Sox than some other outlets, given both the package of prospects that Boston had to give up — and the concerns regarding Rutschman’s health moving forward. “A couple hitches here to explain why this isn’t a higher grade,” they wrote. “Rutschman is currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation, his third IL stint of the season. He missed 10 days in April with knee inflammation and then another 10 days in June following a concussion. This is on top of a hand injury of some sort that hurt his offense in the second half of 2024 and injuries in 2025 that limited him to 90 games. The second hitch: After hitting .356 with a 1.067 OPS in April, he has hit just .218/.309/.362 since. The third hitch: The Red Sox gave up a lot in the deal. “I love the aggressiveness here from Craig Breslow in trying to get the Red Sox to a World Series, but I’m also not convinced that Rutschman is enough of an upgrade to justify what the Red Sox traded away.”