Instant Impact Of Red Sox, Nationals Trade Bringing 6-foot-6 Lefty To Boston

ANOTHER trade with an old Sox exec...

Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Bennett (24) during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox sure are developing a pattern this winter.

For the third time, the Red Sox swung a trade for a pitcher, and for the third time, the trade partner was a National League club featuring a front office run by a former Boston executive. After dealing with Chaim Bloom's St. Louis Cardinals and Ben Cherington's Pittsburgh Pirates, it was time for Paul Toboni and the Washington Nationals to get involved.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Red Sox acquired left-handed pitching prospect Sam Bennett from the Nationals for right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales. Lots of Red Sox fans became somewhat attached to Perales, the 22-year-old right-hander from Venezuela who returned from Tommy John surgery this season to throw 101-mph heat in the Arizona Fall League.

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Red Sox make curious swap of pitching prospects

Immediately after the trade, though, chief baseball officer espoused the virtues of Bennett, who is another big-time arm. He's 25, stands 6-foot-6, and profiles as a surefire starter, having pitched to a 2.27 ERA in 75 1/3 innings in the upper levels of the minors this year.

“We feel like Bennett is a high probability starter that excels in some things that are hard to teach,” Breslow said over text, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. “Fastball playability driven by above average extension and strike throwing ability. His whiff rates and ability to manage hard contact have us confident in his ability to be a major league starter.”

Bennett has all three minor-league options remaining, so that's one benefit he offers Boston in comparison to Perales, who has just one. According to Cotillo, the Red Sox like Bennett quite a bit and have no immediate plans to include him in another trade. But with as much pitching depth as they've ever had in club history, he's certainly still a candidate to move.

As an added bonus, Bennett was college teammates at Oklahoma with Red Sox pitching prospect David Sandlin, who drew a comparison between Bennett and Boston ace Garrett Crochet by replying to Cotillo's tweet announcing the trade with a pig emoji.

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