Details of Red Sox-Orioles Adley Rutschman trade reveal why Yankees fell short

There are a lot of New York Yankees fans upset to see Adley Rutschman shipping up to Boston. For a while, it seemed as if the smoke was building between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, and a deal to send the three-time All-Star catcher to the Bronx was on the horizon.

With catcher being a prime need for New York, it's borderline inexcusable that the club let arguably the best one actually available slip through the cracks. Even worse, they let him go to their most-hated rival.

But once you see what the Red Sox paid for Rutschman and really consider what a haul they gave up, it starts to sting a little less. In exchange for the 2019 first-round pick, the Red Sox sent prospects RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, OF Enddy Azocar, and big league catcher (and former Yankee) Carlos Narvaez.

Those are, in order, the No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 prospects in Boston's system, which is just an astronomically high cost. Original reports had outfielder Harold Rivas (No. 17) also included in the deal. That was incorrect, but there is a player to be named later tacked on as well.

Yankees might have been wise not to beat the Red Sox package for Adley Rutschman

Beating this package would have perhaps been misguided. Rutschman is not the player he was during his first two years in the league, and if the Yankees continue to sound unsure of Aaron Judge's return then they shouldn't have been paying this price for any player who wasn't a bonafide star. Not to mention, Rutschman is currently injured. The equivalent from the Yankees would have looked like Dax Kilby, Carlos Lagrange, and Henry Lalane, plus a bit more, heading to Baltimore. That's a lot even though it wouldn't have necessarily set them back.

We knew the Orioles were going to charge a premium to trade Rutschman within the division, and our proposed package was much less, with Elmer Rodriguez, Bryce Cunningham, and Jace Avina going to Baltimore in our hypothetical.

While Rutschman has name recognition and some track record of past performance, he's not a superstar like the Red Sox's trade indicates. He was barely above average offensively dating back to 2024, posting a 103 wRC+, and has declined even further since then.

Last year Rutschman hit .220/.307/.366. This year, he got off to a hot start over the season's first month, which has inflated his numbers. Since May 1, he's hit just .218/.309/.362 over 220 plate appearances.

The 28-year-old is on the IL with a wrist injury, and those can be pesky and sap offensive production for even the best hitters for a while, even after they've healed.

Rutschman is an excellent defensive catcher and a switch-hitter, and those qualities have real value. But if his bat continues dropping below league average, making that case to prove his worth sounds a lot like the drum beat Austin Wells defenders were marching to before they went extinct.

Rutschman would have looked good in pinstripes for the right price. It's still depressing he went to the Red Sox, but this would've been an ill-advised use of assets. All we can hope for is this aging horribly for Boston.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow