The Adley Rutschman trade to the Boston Red Sox is now fully finalized, with 18-year-old outfield prospect Harold Rivas, previously Boston’s No. 13 prospect, heading to Baltimore as the player to be named later completing the deal.
Rivas joins a return package that already included pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar, and major-league catcher Carlos Narváez. In exchange, Boston landed the switch-hitting catcher who was the first overall pick in 2019 and had been positioned as the face of Baltimore’s rebuild since the Orioles’ 108-loss seasons in 2018 and 2021.
The trade came together after extension talks between Rutschman and the Orioles stalled, and Baltimore had already locked in a lower-cost long-term option behind the plate, signing catching prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million deal. A dip in Rutschman’s 2025 production, attributed partly to a wrist injury, narrowed the front office’s window to trade him before his value declined further. For Boston, the move addresses a real need: the Red Sox had been getting well-below-average production from the catcher position, and Rutschman brings an established combination of on-base skill and defense to a lineup pushing for a playoff spot.
