Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow went into Monday's trade deadline wanting the front office's energy to match what the players have done on the field, turning a team headed nowhere fast into one of baseball's hottest with two months left in the regular season.
That was on display when the Red Sox made a series of moves Monday, beginning with the splash acquisition of All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles for a package that includes three of their top prospects.
"We didn't want to go through a deadline where we kind of just rearranged the chairs, but didn't actually get better and introduce the possibility of messing with the culture and the environment," Breslow said. "We were aggressive in bringing players in, and we were positioning ourselves to reach our objective, which is to try and win a World Series."
The deal was announced about an hour before Monday's deadline. Baltimore also sent catcher Jake Rogers to the Red Sox. In return, the Orioles received minor league right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, minor league outfielder Enddy Azocar, catcher Carlos Narvaez and a player to be named later. Eyanson, Azocar and Witherspoon were ranked as Boston's second-, fourth- and fifth-best prospects, respectively, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, with Eyanson in the top 50 in all of baseball.
Orioles team president Mike Elias said Boston's offer made the intra-division swapping of players worthwhile.
"It wasn't going to be any trade. It was going to have to be something that we were overwhelmed by, and we were," Elias said.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he also had conversations with the Orioles about Rutschman, but they couldn't agree on a deal.
Boston also traded shortstop Marcelo Mayer -- the fourth pick in 2021 -- to San Francisco for left-handed reliever Erik Miller. The Red Sox also dealt right-hander Tyler Uberstine to the Atlanta Braves for veteran outfielder Eli White.
Rutschman gives the surging Red Sox, winners of 23 of their past 26, a needed offensive upgrade at catcher. Narvaez and fellow Red Sox catcher Connor Wong had a combined OPS of just .615 together in Boston, with five home runs and 37 RBIs
Rutschman, 28, is hitting .251 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs this season. He earned an All-Star nod for the third time but is on the injured list because of left wrist inflammation. He has also dealt with an ankle injury and a concussion this year.
Breslow wouldn't put a timetable on Rutschman's return, saying only that the catcher told the team that his wrist is feeling better.
In Mayer's case, it ends a short and injury-plagued run in Boston that saw the 23-year-old play in only 114 games over two seasons. His trade comes while he is on the injured list recuperating from a stress reaction in his left forearm.
"In no way is this [trade] an indictment of Marcelo," Breslow said. "In some ways, it's probably a credit to the player development group and the organization that we were able to make this trade and still feel like we've got players in-house or who can fill a major league shortstop role.
"[Mayer] was a really big part of this organization, someone that was looked upon to be part of a core. And I still think that's going to happen. It's going to happen with the San Francisco Giants at this point, but he's an incredibly talented player."
Breslow acknowledged that the moves were about taking advantage of the moment.
"Over the last month and a half or so, this team has demonstrated an incredible resilience and relentlessness and put itself kind of firmly in the playoff picture," he said. "And they deserved -- and our fans deserve -- our effort, and the efforts from the front office to try and find ways to make it better."
If he can return to the field soon, Rutschman is a significant addition for a Boston team that stormed back into the postseason picture thanks to a 15-game winning streak last month. The Red Sox needed catching help, and their offense is also dealing with injuries to Triston Casas, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony and even the newly acquired Curtis Mead, who suffered a fracture in his wrist two plate appearances into his debut with the team.
The Orioles drafted Rutschman with the No. 1 pick in 2019, but unlike Bobby Witt Jr., the second pick that year, he hasn't signed a long-term contract. Rutschman can become a free agent after next season.
Trading him to an AL East rival is a bitter pill for some Baltimore fans. In many ways, Rutschman represented the success and failure of the past few years for the Orioles. He made his debut in 2022 and the team took off, finishing with a winning record that year and then storming to a 101-win campaign in 2023.
Baltimore made the playoffs in 2024, but Rutschman slumped down the stretch and was unable to rebound in 2025, when the Orioles collapsed to a last-place finish. He has been better this year but has played in only 67 games. Baltimore is 54-58 and entered Monday 2½ games behind the final playoff spot in the American League.
Samuel Basallo, who has 16 homers this season, now becomes Baltimore's clear No. 1 catcher. However, Basallo, 21, is also on the injured list.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.