WASHINGTON – Connelly Early was getting ready to go to sleep on Saturday night when his phone rang around 10:40 p.m. It was Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Then, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy called. After that, Early heard from Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.
Trades and Transactions presented by CohnReznick
• 2026 Trade Deadline: Aug. 3, 6 p.m. ET
• Latest trade buzz and rumors
• Tracking every trade
The rookie’s quiet evening was quickly flipped upside down with career-changing news.
The Nationals had acquired Early from the Red Sox in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead in a late-night trade 10 days before the Deadline.
“[I was] a little bit shocked,” Early said before the Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. “Then obviously I had to pack up everything, move everything that I own into my truck. Hopefully, I get that in a couple days. But I’m just excited to be here. Everybody's been really good to me so far.”
By Monday afternoon, Early was in full uniform throwing a bullpen session at Nationals Park. Wearing No. 19, he continued his recovery from left elbow inflammation with his new team. Early, who sustained the injury pitching against the Nationals on June 30, is on track to make a rehab start around Aug. 3.
The Nationals are excited to welcome Early into their starting rotation. Prior to his injury, he was 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts. He had a 9.1 strikeout rate in 91 2/3 innings.
“It seems to be trending in a good direction,” manager Blake Butera said of Early’s rehab. “But I also told him: ‘I know you’re excited to get on the mound and pitch for us, but we’re also going to be responsible with this. Just take it day-by-day.’”
Early truly is taking everything day-by-day after this massive change.
Selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft, Early had developed (and debuted) with just one organization. But he is in the unique situation of already being familiar with the front office of his new team. Toboni and assistant general manager Devin Pearson worked in the Red Sox front office when they drafted Early.
“You all will see it soon, but he’s just a stud. A stud,” Toboni told reporters on Sunday. “A competitor. Incredibly composed out there. Brings great energy to the clubhouse. He’s one of my favorites that I’ve been around. An awesome get for us, obviously the talent, but also from a clubhouse perspective, he couldn’t be better.”
Aside from having been in the same Draft class as Dylan Crews and playing youth travel ball against James Wood, Early is essentially restarting in the Nationals clubhouse.
“Obviously, I wasn't the one making the decision. It’s not like I was the one who decided to step away from those guys,” Early said of his teammates on the Red Sox. “But I was able to have them for the past couple years, so I feel like baseball brings so much more than just the game. It brings so many relationships, it builds bonds that you can't really get anywhere else, so obviously that's tough. But I'm excited to be here and build that with these guys around me.”
The trade to the Nationals also brings Early closer to family. Early grew up in Midlothian, Va., near Richmond. He attended the University of Virginia after the United States Military Academy.
“The exciting part is I'm close to home,” Early said. “I can have my grandparents come up here. I can have my parents up here a lot. On my mom's side of the family, some people live up in Ashburn. So to have them close to me, that's super nice.”