By admin 
We saw our first big deal ahead of the MLB trade deadline late Saturday night when the Boston Red Sox sent lefty Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for third baseman Curtis Mead.
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I had recently heard that the Red Sox were floating Early on the trade market and now a trade has come to fruition in the deal for Mead, a right-handed power bat who fills a hole in Boston’s infield.
Had heard the Red Sox were floating Connelly Early on the trade market. Now a deal comes to fruition.
Fun fact: the Phillies traded Curtis Mead for Cristopher Sanchez in a deal with the Rays back in the 2019-2020 offseason https://t.co/BQ21pw649c
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) July 26, 2026
But what’s the rest of the league saying about the trade?
One rival evaluator I spoke with called the deal a “massive” overpay by the Red Sox. Many people in the industry are struggling to understand the deal and quietly wonder what Boston knows about the medicals on Early.
Early has been on the injured list since July 1 with left elbow inflammation. He has no structural damage in the elbow and recently threw a bullpen session. But it’s unknown when he might return to the mound this season.
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The Red Sox apparently felt that they didn’t have time to wait for Early to get healthy. Boston has soared back into the playoff race in the past month and sits a half game up in the second AL Wild Card spot at 53-50.
The Red Sox dealt from a position of strength in order to fill a need in their infield, while Washington technically did the same thing. Pitching has been the Nationals’ biggest weakness this year, as they currently are 53-52 and two games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL.
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Even still, the Red Sox sending a young, controllable left-handed starter to the Nationals for a young, controllable right-handed bat having a breakout season was a bit surprising.
Both the Red Sox and Nationals are likely not finished making trades with the deadline just eight days away.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2026 at 9:37 AM.