Red Sox land Adley Rutschman in blockbuster Orioles trade

The Red Sox spent deadline day chasing the biggest name on the board and walked away with him. Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a 3-time All-Star, is now a Red Sox catcher after Baltimore agreed to move on from the face of its rebuild.

Jeff Passan

@JeffPassan

BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are acquiring three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, sources tell ESPN.

The reporting moved in waves that afternoon. Mark Feinsand first flagged that Boston and Baltimore were talking seriously around 4 p.m., Jon Heyman had the same read from sources minutes later, and by mid-afternoon Heyman was saying Boston was closing in. Less than 3 hours after the first rumblings, Jeff Passan broke the news that it was official.

Ken Rosenthal added a wrinkle to the deal that matters a lot for Boston's timeline: Rutschman is currently on his third injured list stint of the season, out since mid-July with left wrist inflammation. He's reportedly feeling better and was expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment, but the Red Sox aren't getting an instant plug-in behind the plate.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

The Red Sox are sending RHP Anthony Eyanson (Boston's No. 2 prospect and No. 49 overall per @MLBPipeline), RHP Kyson Witherspoon (No. 4), OF Enddy Azocar (No. 5), OF Harold Rivas (No. 17) and C Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for Rutschman, per source. @jcalvinmeyer was on it.

Baltimore didn't let him go for nothing. The return centers on right-hander Anthony Eyanson, Boston's No. 2 prospect and a top-50 arm league-wide, along with fellow pitching prospect Kyson Witherspoon, outfielders Enddy Azocar and catcher Carlos Narvaez. An earlier report had outfielder Harold Rivas in the deal too, but Feinsand and Rosenthal both corrected that within the hour -- Rivas stays in Boston, with a player to be named later going to the Orioles in his place. Baltimore also picked up catcher Jake Rogers in the swap, adding some depth behind the plate as it resets.

The human side of the deal broke a day later, when Jomboy Media relayed that Rutschman found out about the trade while he, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser were on their way to see the new Spider-Man movie together. Cowser called it "pretty emotional" -- about as real a snapshot as you'll get of what it's like to lose a franchise cornerstone mid-outing with your closest teammates.

Jomboy Media

@JomboyMedia

Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser were going to see "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" when Rutschman got the call that he was being traded, per @jcalvinmeyer Cowser said "It was pretty emotional."

This is a full-on strategy shift for Boston, which has leaned on homegrown talent for years and just gave up 4 of its better prospects to buy immediate impact. For Baltimore, it's the clearest signal yet that the rebuild-era core is being dismantled piece by piece. Rutschman was drafted to be the face of a resurgent Orioles team; instead he's headed to Fenway once his wrist cooperates, and both franchises just changed direction in the same afternoon.