Adley Rutschman, a staple of the organization & once the premium building block, is now headed to the Boston Red Sox. The Sox acquired the All-Star catcher as part of a massive trade, one that saw Boston part with three of their top prospects.

The Red Sox’s Return

• C Adley Rutschman (.251/.331/.433, eight HR & 28 XBH over 67 GP)
• C Jake Rogers

The 2026 season has been more of a return to norms for Adley Rutschman.

For most of his first three years of his MLB career, Rutschman was a staple in the Orioles’ lineup. A talented hitter who could make consistent contact, hit for power, and get on base, the O’s had Rutschman atop the lineup for almost all of 2022, 2023, and 2024. And he played every day, too, either as a backstop or a DH.

His standout season came in 2023, when Rutschman hit 23 home runs and walked 92 times over 154 games.

Things had tailed off for Rutschman since the midway point of 2024. Rutschman finished in the bottom 20 in terms of OPS during the second half of that season. And last season, amidst an injury-shortened campaign, he posted just a .673 OPS. But for much of the first half of 2026, Rutschman was highly productive.

However, it’s been a slog in recent weeks for Rutschman, for several reasons. One, Rutschman has just two home runs since the start of June, not surprising given how little he’s played since then. That’s because, two, the switch-hitting catcher had multiple IL stints this season.

One was in June for a concussion. And on July 20, he landed on the IL. The three-time All-Star is currently on the IL with wrist inflammation.

Rutschman has one year left of team control after 2026.

Jake Rogers, just acquired by the Orioles, is also going to Boston.

The Orioles’ Return

• SP Anthony Eyanson (1.32 ERA, 94 K over 68 IP (A+ & AA))
• SP Kyson Witherspoon (4.78 ERA, 78 K over 75 IP (A+))
• OF Enddy Azocar (.286/.341/.540, 18 HR & 51 XBH over 85 GP (A & A+))
• C Carlos Narvaez (.187/.260/.275, three HR & nine XBH over 62 GP)

The Orioles are getting, arguably, the two best pitching prospects in the Red Sox’s system: Anthony Eyanson & Kyson Witherspoon.

Eyanson has put eye-popping swing-and-miss numbers both in High-A and Double-A, among the top tier in both leagues. And for the right-hander, he can overwhelm with a fastball that can touch the upper-90s, plus a curveball, a slider, and a split-finger.

Kyson Witherspoon was taken before Eyanson, as he was the Sox’s first-round pick from the 2025 MLB Draft. Witherspoon was the ace of the Oklahoma Sooners’ pitching staff and electrified with a very deep pitch arsenal for a college pitcher, with four fleshed-out pitches, including a good slider and a hard fastball.

He has put up good strikeout & swing-and-miss numbers this season, although the results have not completely borne that out in the peripherals.

Enddy Azocar was one of the Red Sox’s flashiest power-hitting prospects. Azocar bullied through Low-A this season and hit well for the most part with High-A Greenville, putting him on pace for a likely 20-home run season.

Pull-side power. However, he did show a lot of swing-and-miss over the first few weeks coming out of the first half of the 2026 MiLB season.

Carlos Narvaez did establish himself as a regular among the Red Sox’s catching core last season. However, his numbers have tumbled in 2026.

Analysis

The Red Sox had to pay the tax of A) trading for an All-Star catcher & B) trading for a significant piece from an AL East club. But if the Red Sox can get a healthy Rutschman, and one who can do the things that he did earlier this season, he should help complement a Sox lineup that’s been performing very well in recent weeks.

As for the Orioles, this is a good return. While nothing is for certain, the O’s did get a Major League catcher back, plus three top-10 prospects from the Boston system. Eyanson, the big piece, was arguably the second-best youngster in the Red Sox system behind Franklin Arias.

From a long-term perspective, it’s also not a shock to see Rutschman be moved. Baltimore locked up Samuel Basallo last year, and the club does have bodies who could fill out the roster as a reserve catcher in the long-term.

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