O's get haul from Red Sox as Rutschman era comes to an end

BALTIMORE -- Since Mike Elias’ first season leading the Orioles’ baseball operations department, the player most associated with his tenure was Adley Rutschman. Elias was hired in November 2018, and then, less than eight months later, Baltimore selected Rutschman with the No. 1 overall pick in the ’19 MLB Draft and made him the face of its rebuild.

The 2026 Trade Deadline brought the end of that era.

In a blockbuster move ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Deadline, the O’s traded Rutschman to the American League East-rival Red Sox -- alongside fellow catcher Jake Rogers -- in exchange for a hefty return, headlined by a trio of top prospects from Boston's system.

TRADE DETAILS
Orioles receive: RHP Anthony Eyanson (now BAL's No. 1 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s No. 49 overall), RHP Kyson Witherspoon (BAL No. 6), OF Enddy Azocar (BAL No. 7), C Carlos Narváez and a player to be named later or cash considerations
Red Sox receive: C Adley Rutschman, C Jake Rogers and cash considerations

This is a deal few could have seen coming in Baltimore as recently as earlier this year. Elias certainly didn't.

"I think Adley and I both wish some of these seasons hadn't gone the way that they had," Elias said.

After going 75-87 and finishing in last place in the American League East in 2025, the Orioles retooled and were expecting to be among the top teams in the AL this season. Instead, they are 54-58 and have largely underperformed, though they’re still only 2 1/2 games back of a playoff spot in the crowded AL Wild Card picture.

Elias said last Friday that Baltimore would be neither buyers nor sellers, instead monitoring the market for trades that could swing in either direction, as long as they seemed beneficial for the organization. However, the O’s ended up operating solely as sellers, trading right-hander Dean Kremer to the Twins, outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners, right-hander Tyler Wells to the Rays and, most notably, Rutschman to the Red Sox.

The biggest deal wasn't an easy one to make, as most would expect.

"He did a great job for us. He's a great Oriole and I wish him the best, and I continue to root for him going forward," Elias said. "Certainly one of the weightier decisions that I've been a part of, and my personal affection, admiration and respect for Adley Rutschman and his connection to the organization, to the city, to everything, weighed very heavily. But it was the right thing to do for us to make this trade."

A three-time All-Star in five MLB seasons, the 28-year-old Rutschman has largely lived up to the massive expectations placed upon him as a former No. 1 overall Draft pick and the former top prospect in baseball. The Oregon State product has recorded 16.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference.

However, Rutschman has been hampered by injuries for much of the past two seasons. He was limited to 90 games during the 2025 season due to a pair of oblique ailments (one on each side). He’s also currently on the injured list for the third time in ’26 due to left wrist inflammation.

Rutschman is expected to return to big league action in mid-August. He missed time earlier this year due to left ankle inflammation (April 11-21) and a concussion (June 19-28).

When asked about Rutschman’s future in late June, Elias said the Orioles “want him here forever,” beyond the 2027 season (after which the backstop is set to hit free agency). The president of baseball operations was asked about Rutschman again this past Friday.

“We love him. You feel it when he’s gone from the team. I absolutely love Adley and having him as long as we can,” Elias said then. “But as I mentioned, I think we’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve got to be pretty open-minded here as we go into these talks. But Adley is one of the best things that we have going for us.”

Now, Rutschman is gone -- after helping lead the O’s to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2023 and ’24, with the former featuring 101 wins and an AL East title -- and the core of Baltimore’s roster has lost a significant piece.

Elias said he "wanted to see what was available with a player like Adley, with a year-and-a-half remaining on his present deal." As the catching market developed, the primary suitors came in-division from the AL East. So, Baltimore was going to want a large return.

"It wasn't going to be any trade. It had to be something that we were overwhelmed by," Elias said. "And we were."

Eyanson, 21, was the Red Sox’s third-round pick in 2025. The righty had a 1.69 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) for Double-A Portland this year.

Witherspoon, 21, was Boston’s first-round pick in 2025, taken with the No. 15 overall selection. The right-hander had a 4.78 ERA in 17 starts for High-A Greenville this season.

Azocar, 19, was signed out of Venezuela by the Sox in January 2024. He reached High-A for the first time this year and hit .279 with 12 doubles, three triples, 12 homers, 37 RBIs and an .885 OPS in 46 games for Greenville.

"We got really great players back," Elias said. "We’re going to have to make moves that are uncomfortable and require some short-term heartache at times. So this was tough. It was a big trade. I think that our organization is better off for it."

Samuel Basallo will be the Orioles’ No. 1 catcher once he returns from a right shoulder injury, likely later this month. The 21-year-old rookie is already signed to a long-term deal, as he inked an eight-year, $67 million extension last August that has him under contract through at least the 2033 season (with an $18 million club option for ’34).

With Rogers also getting sent to the Red Sox in the deal, the O’s will go with Narváez and Yohel Pozo as their catchers until Basallo returns. Rogers played only three games for Baltimore after getting traded there by Detroit last Thursday.

Narváez is a three-year MLB veteran who has played for the Yankees (2024) and Red Sox (’25 and ’26). The 27-year-old placed sixth in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting last year, when he hit .241 with 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .725 OPS. This season, he is hitting .187 with six doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs and a .535 OPS in 62 games.