Pro Beavs: Red Sox Acquire Adley Rutschman From Orioles in Exchange For 5 Prospects

Rutschman reached three All-Star games during his time with Baltimore.

Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) and Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Bryan Baker (43) of the American League celebrate after the win against the National League at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Orioles have traded 2019 first overall draft pick Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox.

In return, the Orioles will be getting catcher Carlos Narvaez and four minor league prospects. These prospects include SP Anthony Eyanson, who holds a 1.32 ERA after 16 Double-A starts, and SP Kyson Witherspoon, whom the Red Sox drafted in the first round in 2025.

Rutschman, a three-time All-Star, has been injured the last few weeks dealing with wrist inflammation. Prior to going on the IL, Rutschman has had a good season with a a .251 batting average and an elite defensive catcher rating. His defensive skills were a huge part of why he was name to his third All-Star game earlier this summer.

This trade serves as a big move for Boston, who find themselves as one of the hottest teams in baseball after a miserable first three months. The Red Sox at one point were ten games below .500, but now find themselves 59-51, in wild card position, and fresh off a sweep of the LA Dodgers.

While it's unknown how exactly the Red Sox will utilize their lineup, it should be expected that Rutschman will start at catcher for the majority of games. Connor Wong had been the main guy at this position for Boston the last few months. While Wong could still find himself in the lineup because of a solid batting average and an ability to play in the infield, Rutschman is seen as a big upgrade for the Red Sox at catcher. Once he is fully healthy, the former national champion should be starting. Over the course of his MLB career, Rutschman is batting .254 with 69 home runs and a .342 on-base percentage.

Boston certainly had to give up some value to acquire the former number one pick. Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon were listed as the number two and number four prospects in Boston's organization, respectively. The Orioles also got 19 year-old Enddy Azocar in this trade, a young outfielder who shows a ton of potential. Azocar is hitting .286 with 18 home runs this season at the Single-A level with the Greenville Drive. Finally, the Orioles also got 18 year-old Harold Rivas, a Venezuelan native who is ranked as a top 20 prospect in Boston's organization.

Rutschman's college career at Oregon State will be remembered by Beaver fans for a long time. Rutschman helped OSU to the 2018 national championship, hitting .408 with nine home runs, as well as a program record 102 hits and 83 RBIs as a sophomore. He was also the College World Series' most outstanding player that year. In 2019 as a junior, Rutschman was a unanimous First-Team All-American, was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, won the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, and the Buster Posey Award as the top catcher in Division I.