Yankees Emerging Prospect Breaks Silence on Trade From Red Sox

On Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox not only faced off against Team Puerto Rico in an exhibition tune-up for the World Baseball Classic, but they ran into a familiar face.

Right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodríguez, the prospect Boston traded in a one-for-one swap with the New York Yankees in December of 2024 for starting catcher Carlos Narváez, threw three scoreless innings as the starter for Puerto Rico's 5-3 win at JetBlue Park.

Since the trade, Rodríguez has blossomed into one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, making it a rare occasion in which both sides are almost forced to be happy with the deal. Judging by the sound of things, Rodríguez feels as though he is in the place he's meant to be.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Rodríguez talks trade, one year later

Feb 26, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After holding the Red Sox to one hit with a pair of strikeouts, Rodríguez addressed the trade, 15 months after it happened, and seemed to hold no grudge against Boston for shipping him out of town.

“I was shocked when it happened but at the same time it’s a business, it’s part of it,” Rodriguez said, per Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. “So you move on and I was excited to go to the Yankees and I was excited to be there.”

The drama was somewhat diminished by Narváez missing the contest. Boston's backstop suffered back spasms over the weekend and sat out the game as a precaution after originally being scheduled to serve as the designated hitter.

“Yeah it would have been fun,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t see that often, we play against each other like that and it will probably be my first time facing him, but we’ll probably face each other in the long end.”

In 27 appearances and 150 innings last season, Rodríguez posted a 2.58 ERA and 176 strikeouts. He took the leap from a pretty exciting prospect in the Boston organization to a consensus Top 100 farmhand in all of baseball.

None of that is to say that the Red Sox should regret trading him in the slightest, because they landed a quality starter at a position of need. But there should be some spirited competition between Rodríguez and Boston for years to come.