The Red Sox pulled off one of the deadline's biggest swings on August 4, landing Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers from Baltimore in exchange for Carlos Narvaez, top pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, cash and a player to be named later. It was a full teardown of Boston's catching depth chart in one trade, and the fallout is still shaking loose days later.
First casualty: Andrew Knizner. The 31-year-old had been hitting well at Triple-A Worcester on a minor league deal, but with Rutschman now owning the position for at least the next season and a half, there was simply no path to Boston for him. He opted out and became a free agent rather than sit behind a 3-time All-Star.
Some #RedSox catcher items: Knizner opts out, Rutschman starts rehab https://t.co/1sXZMIzLUR
Boston's incumbent catchers had combined for a bottom-10 OPS in the league this year, so the front office wasn't shy about blowing it up. The problem is Rutschman isn't healthy yet — he was on his third IL stint of the season, sidelined since July 20 with left wrist inflammation, when the trade went down. He's since started a rehab assignment with Worcester and gone 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBI in his first game back behind the plate, throwing out a runner in the process.
Newly acquired catcher Adley Rutschman is nearing his #RedSox debut https://t.co/1sXZMIzLUR
GM Craig Breslow has stayed cagey on a firm return date, saying he's "not going to try to put a timetable" on it, but noting Rutschman feels "quite a bit better" and sounds optimistic. Rutschman is under club control through 2027 arbitration before hitting free agency, so this isn't a two-month rental — Boston is building around him behind the plate for the foreseeable future, assuming they get him extended.
For a Red Sox lineup that gave away outs at catcher for most of the season, even a banged-up version of an All-Star backstop is a massive upgrade. Once he's cleared from Worcester, Boston finally gets to see what its deadline gamble actually looks like on the field.