Red Sox acquire All-Star Adley Rutschman in stunning trade with rival Orioles

[p]In exchange, the Orioles received catcher Carlos Narvaez, Red Sox No. 2 prospect Anthony Eyanson (RHP, Double-A), No. 4 prospect Kyson Witherspoon (RHP, High-A), and No. 5 prospect Enddy Azocar (OF, High-A).[/p][p]Baltimore are also sending over catcher Jake Rogers, who they just acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers last week.[/p][p]This marks the biggest trade between the division rival teams since 2014, when the Orioles traded for relief pitcher [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/miller-andrew/6iR04Ka4/"]Andrew Miller[/a].[/p][embed guid="f19229e8-61e9-4bcb-bdce-28e59c1d6bf1" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2084351563942805823?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rutschman-adley/pIav2ofe/"]Rutschman[/a], 28, is one of the most coveted catchers in the league. The three-time All-Star switch-hitter is having a bounce-back year at the plate, slashing .251/.331/.433. He needs just two more home runs to surpass last year's total (eight) and 11 more RBI to double his previous total (29), despite playing in 23 fewer games so far (90 - 2025, 67 - 2026). [/p][p]Rutschman has been battling injuries this season and is currently on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation (retroactive to July 19th). He's set to begin his rehab assignment in the coming week.[/p][p]He currently ranks fifth among qualified catchers with a 2.3 WAR.[/p][h2]Rutschman's impact on Baltimore[/h2][p]After the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/seattle-mariners/txYPhSac/"]Seattle Mariners[/a] originally drafted Rutschman in the 40th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, the catcher opted to play at Oregon State University and re-enter the draft in 2019, when the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/baltimore-orioles/EcZwBi3N/"]Orioles[/a] selected him with the No. 1 overall pick. [/p][p]Since then, Rutschman has been a staple for the Orioles' franchise. [/p][p]The Oregon native made his MLB debut in 2022 and put up a historic season as a rookie. Rutschman went on to set the single-season Orioles rookie record for most doubles (35), beating out legendary Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.'s total (32). [/p][embed guid="6e4e3591-0208-4383-8b84-4ddc9a2f3d65" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RtDii9A40" social-type="youtube" /][p]Rutschman became just the fifth catcher in MLB history to post a 5.0+ WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in their debut season when he finished with a 5.3 in 113 games, joining catching legends Carlton Fisk, Mike Piazza, Thurman Munson, and Johnny Bench. [/p][p]Rutschman would finish in third for American League Rookie of the Year Voting after finishing the season with a .254/.362/.445 slash line along with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and four stolen bases. [/p][p]A season later, the Orioles would start a historic run led by Rutschman as the team set an MLB record for the most consecutive multi-game series (106) without being swept. On May 15th, a full year later, Rutschman's walk-off home run kept that streak alive before eventually coming to an end that same month on May 22nd, when the O's were swept by the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/st-louis-cardinals/IDVz16ES/"]St. Louis Cardinals[/a].[/p][embed guid="7ec02c43-232d-454b-a774-a0dbe8f8ed79" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0ws89xfv-s" social-type="youtube" /][p]Later in 2024, Rustchman would go on to win his first Silver Slugger Award and earn his first All-Star selection. He hit .277 that season with an .809 OPS, 20 home runs, and 80 RBI in 154 games - all still career-highs for the five-year catcher. [/p][p]Baltimore signed their rising star catcher Samuel Bassalo to an eight-year, $67 million deal last season as the franchise has made their intentions clear about how they're moving forward. [/p][p]Baltimore are 54-58 this season, sitting in second-to-last in the American League East division, while their rival [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-red-sox/zaXTinF3/"]Red Sox[/a] (60-51) are currently in third as they have completely turned their season around after previously being at the bottom of the division with a 37-48 record. [/p][p]They are 28-5 since June 25th - the best 33-game span in the franchise's history.[/p][infobox id="3e982646-21d3-4baf-ac34-10f731dff476" /]