Nationals Ship Jake Bennett to Red Sox in Surprising Prospect-for-Prospect Trade
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The Washington Nationals made a trade with the Boston Red Sox, but it wasn't the one that many expected to happen.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Nationals shipped left-handed pitching prospect Jake Bennett to the Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales in a one-for-one deal. This is surprising considering Washington protected Bennett ahead of the Rule 5 Draft by adding him to their 40-man roster, with it looking like he could play a role in the team's starting rotation at some point during the 2026 campaign.
Bennett was a breakout star during this year's Arizona Fall League after leading the AFL in strikeouts. He was also considered the Nationals' No. 11 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Meanwhile, Perales was slotted in at No. 7 in Boston's farm system.
Pitching-prospect trade: The Boston Red Sox are acquiring left-hander Jake Bennett from the Washington Nationals for right-hander Luis Perales, sources tell ESPN. A 1-for-1 deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2025
Of course, the trade everyone expected to take place between these two teams was one that would have featured MacKenzie Gore. When speculation started early this offseason that the left-handed ace could be shopped around, many considered the Red Sox to be an ideal landing spot since Washington's new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was hired away from Boston and is familiar with their pipeline.
But when the Red Sox instead acquired starting pitchers Sonny Gray and John Oviedo, that cooled things off that a potential blockbuster deal featuring Gore would get done.
Why Did Nationals Trade Jake Bennett?
Without official comments made by Toboni regarding this trade at the time of writing, the only thing that can be done is to speculate. Perhaps he and his front office believe Bennett is close to being at his ceiling after coming back from Tommy John surgery this past season.
The second-round pick from the 2022 draft posted solid numbers with a cumulative 2.27 ERA across 19 total outings (18 starts) at the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels this year. But he also rung up just 64 batters in 75 1/3 innings pitched, which calls into question the upside of his stuff.
What he did during the Arizona Fall League seemed to quell some of those concerns. However, the fact he was hit around quite a bit at that showcase event might have created some new question marks about his ultimate ceiling.
Another strong outing for Jake Bennett 💪
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) September 8, 2025
5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
His 1.62 ERA (6 ER/33.1 IP) since Aug. 1 ranks third in the Eastern League! pic.twitter.com/njUxqoE4Xg
Perales, on the other hand, offers some serious high upside. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 99 mph. At the age of 22, he has experience pitching at the Triple-A level and has posted a total ERA of 3.31 across his 47 minor league outings (43 starts).
The righty also has rung up 228 batters in 163 1/3 innings pitched. While he has walked 86 and has given up 130 total hits, there is no doubt there is a lot to like regarding Perales when it comes to what he could eventually bring to Washington.
How early he factors into the Nationals' plans will be interesting to monitor. But Toboni pulled off his second trade as the president of baseball operations, and it was to get an intriguing prospect he's familiar with into this system.
