Red Sox's Connelly Early Reveals Stance On Constant Trade Rumors

There's only so much a player can do

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) stands on the mound in the first inning against the New York Yankees during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It's hard to come up with a team more immersed in trade rumors than the Boston Red Sox right now.

Outside of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, just about anyone on the roster could theoretically be shipped out this offseason if the deal was right. And few are more keenly aware of that reality than the Red Sox' two top pitching prospects, the recently-debuted Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.

Tolle had the faster rise to the big leagues this year, but Early was better once he arrived. Few 23-year-olds define the word "pitchability" better, and for that reason, he'd be a very attractive piece for teams looking for starting pitchers who could immediately join a major league rotation.

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What Connelly Early thinks about trade rumors

Early, who comes from a military family and originally attended the United States Military Academy before transfering to Virginia, is already an expert on blocking out the noise. It appears he's applying that principle to the offseason rumor mill.

While volunteering at the Wonderfund of Massachusetts warehouse on Tuesday, Tolle was asked about how he's dealing with the constant trade speculation this winter.

“I don’t pay attention to too much of it,” said Early, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “The Red Sox are a big market team, so obviously we’re trying to get some guys here or there. Who knows who it’s going to be?”

Boston has already made one big trade, shipping Early's former Triple-A and major league teammate Richard Fitts to the St. Louis Cardinals for starter Sonny Gray. If the Red Sox have more trades on their mind, which could be the case if the budget is as tight as recent reports have suggested, Early would figure to be a piece of a package for an even bigger star if he's moved.

But whether he's pitching for the Red Sox or another organization, Early's main goal this year is to establish himself as a full-time member of a rotation and not an injury fill-in. He looked great in his first five starts, even the game he lost to the New York Yankees in the playoffs, but there's a lot left to prove.

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