Red Sox, Nationals exchange pitching prospects

Paul Toboni spoke of “creating a scouting and player development monster” when he was hired as the Nationals' president of baseball operations.

Toboni addressed the Nats’ Minor League system on Monday by swapping pitching prospects with the Red Sox, the organization for which he previously worked.

The Nationals acquired right-hander Luis Perales (ranked by MLB Pipeline as Boston’s No. 7 prospect at the time of the deal) in exchange for left-hander Jake Bennett (Washington’s No. 11). Following the trade, Perales slotted as the Nats’ No. 5 prospect and Bennett as Boston’s No. 7.

Perales, 22, underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024. He returned toward the end of the ’25 Minor League season and made three appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Perales went on to start six games in the Arizona Fall League. With the Salt River Rafters, he was 0-2 with a 10.32 ERA, 31.7% strikeout rate and 18.3% walk rate.

Perales, who signed with the Red Sox in July 2019 for $75,000 out of Venezuela, has a Major League estimated time of arrival of 2027. MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra evaluated him with an overall scouting grade of 50 (fastball, 70; slider, 50; cutter, 55; splitter, 55; control, 40). Dykstra wrote the following of Perales:

"Perales makes up for a lack of physicality with lightning-quick arm speed that generates four-seam fastballs that averaged around 99 mph in the AFL and touched 101 with a flat approach angle and huge carry up in the strike zone. He made progress with his secondary pitches last season, particularly with an upper-80s splitter that features devastating tumble when it's on. He uses both a dropping mid-80s slider and a tighter low-90s cutter, with the latter pitch improving significantly in 2024. While Perales is athletic and gets down the mound well to create extension, he's also small for a starter and throws with some effort. He looked more like a pitcher than a thrower last year, cutting his walk rate to 8% (down from 13% in his first three pro seasons) and using his secondary offerings more often rather than just dominating with his fastball. His control wasn’t back in the Fall League, but it was still early in his TJ comeback cycle. There’s a high ceiling here as a starter with a heavy dose of relief risk, if the Nats can’t help him find the zone."

The Nationals traded Bennett, 25, who also recently came back from Tommy John surgery. A 2022 second-round Draft pick out of the University of Oklahoma, Bennett missed the entire ’24 season. He returned in ’25 and went 2-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) across three levels, finishing in Double-A. Like Perales, Bennett played in the Arizona Fall League. He led the AFL in strikeouts (25), ranked second in innings pitched (20) and was named to the Fall Stars Game.

The Nats protected Bennett from the Rule 5 Draft and added him to the 40-man roster in November.

Earlier this month, the Nationals traded southpaw Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for catcher Harry Ford and righty prospect Isaac Lyon.