The verdict is in from the Boston Red Sox fans after the franchise traded rookie left-handed pitcher Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead.
Mead is probably Boston’s answer in its search for a right-handed hitter. The 25-year-old is hitting .254/.352/.504 with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs in 87 games this season and can play several positions in the infield, including third base, first base, and second base. Meanwhile, the Red Sox lose Early, who posted a 7-5 record, 3.44 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in 91.2 innings across 17 starts. The lefty is on the injured list due to elbow inflammation.
After ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news on X, fans shared their thought on the trade.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. This trade will age horribly for Breslow and the Red Sox Mead is a solid bat, Early is a future all-star 🤦🏻♂️,” one fan wrote.
“seems like a horrible trade for the sox am i trippin,” one fan added.
Here are more fan reactions:
Red Sox’s Curtis Mead Deal Comes With One Obvious Question
One can really see why the Red Sox traded for Curtis Mead, who was enjoying a breakout season with the Nationals so far. But the obvious question is where the Red Sox will play him in the infield.
The former Nationals star is negative-9 outs above average at third base. Meanwhile, he is only negative-1 at second base. The best-case scenario for the franchise would be to keep Caleb Durbin at third base. Durbin is giving excellent production from the hot corner, becoming the first Red Sox third baseman with 10+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases in a season since 1968.
The other risk for the Red Sox is whether Mead could continue hitting well at Fenway Park. The answer is he probably would, since all 17 of his home runs have gone to the left of dead center field.
With the Red Sox’s surge, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow might have seen an opportunity to improve the roster by trading Early, who was on the injured list. The Red Sox are in the final AL Wild Card spot, and it seems they are taking this trade deadline to improve for the second half of the season.
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