Red Sox overpaying to beat Yankees for Adley Rutschman trade now looks hilarious

A large contingent of New York Yankees fans wanted Adley Rutschman at the trade deadline. Many were disappointed when he wound up traveling from one division rival to another, though once folks saw the price that the Boston Red Sox paid to acquire him, some of the sting wore off.

We had tried to warn everyone. Rutschman is a big name as a former first overall pick and three-time All-Star, but his numbers this season have been misleading and part of a bigger decline that has been going on for the past couple of years. Throw in the fact that he was dealing with a wrist injury, and the Orioles were looking for an extortion-like return to trade him within the division, and it was clear that he was a big risk.

With the Red Sox coming to town, we got our first up-close look at the 28-year-old in their lineup, and with an 0-for-4, two strikeout performance against Cam Schlittler and the cream of the crop of the New York bullpen, we were left thoroughly unimpressed. Expanding out, it's actually hilarious how bad Rutschman has been for Boston.

With six hits over his first 45 at-bats with the Red Sox, Rutschman is hitting just .133. His full line is .133/.255/.244 with one homer and a 25.5% strikeout rate. He's subtracted 0.1 fWAR from Boston in that short 12-game span.

As a reminder, Boston gave up their Nos. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 prospects for Rutschman. It was originally reported that their No. 17 prospect, 18-year-old outfielder Harold Rivas, was part of the deal, but that was later updated to a Player To Be Named Later. Well, that player has been named, and it is, in fact, Rivas, making the price tag even higher.

Adley Rutschman will cause Red Sox fans to experience Austin Wells-level cope Yankees fans know well

One thing Rutschman does consistently well is play superb defense behind the plate. No matter if you're talking about framing, pitch blocking, or controlling the run game, the former top prospect is more than solid in every facet of defense.

Red Sox fans will surely try to use that as a consolation, and it's a familiar feeling for Yankees fans. We've often told ourselves during Austin Wells' scuffles that we're at least fortunate he's a positive defensively. It's pure cope, and it rings hollow. But for much of the season, it was all we've had.

While it's not much, Wells has hit a bit better since the All-Star break, slashing .235/.340/370, which is good for a 106 wRC+. Combined with above-average defense behind the plate, that's not so bad overall.

We'd love more, of course, but when you consider that Wells is already here and the Red Sox cleared out the top of their farm system to acquire a guy who can't hit and can only play defense, you can't help but feel kind of good.

Boston reportedly was considering extending Rutschman as the honeymoon phase was unfolding before he came off the IL. It took only two weeks for them to go from those optimistic feelings to sitting him for multiple games in order to give him a mental reset (along with some other injury concerns). Honeymoon over!

Rutschman won't be this bad forever, but even when he starts hitting it's unclear what he ultimately becomes. For the better part of the last two years, he's been roughly a .670 OPS performer with the bat, and that's hardly worth the price the Red Sox paid.

On top of everything, that will likely take Boston out of the running to sign a catcher in free agency this offseason, leaving top options like Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson there with one fewer suitor for the Yankees to contend with. It's clear the Red Sox made a big mistake, and the Yankees will reap the benefits.

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