The Orioles’ trade of catcher Adley Rutschman within the American League East to the Boston Red Sox is drawing a lot of reaction from those inside baseball and those who cover it. Here is a sample:
Ian Cundall, Baseball America:
“With the emergence of Samuel Basallo as their catcher of the future, moving Rutschman makes sense for the Orioles. They accomplished that on Monday, dealing Rutschman to the Red Sox for righthander Anthony Eyanson, the No. 33 prospect in Baseball America’s Top 100, as part of a massive haul. Eyanson immediately becomes the top pitching prospect in the system on the back of a breakout 2026 in which his prospect stock has soared.”
Eyanson’s fastball velocity spiked into the high 90s this spring, and he touched 100 mph in the Spring Breakout game. In the regular season, his velocity has been down closer to where it was in college, as he’s sitting 92-95 mph and has maxed out at 97.1 mph.
Eyanson’s secondaries are quite impressive and the best part of his arsenal. His mid-80s gyro slider is his best pitch and has a whiff rate above 50 percent. He uses it almost as much as his fastball and has an advanced feel for it. He can command it in and out of the zone depending on the situation, and hitters struggle to square it up. His high-70s curveball also shows premium bat-missing ability, but is more of a chase pitch that is effective when used to finish off at-bats. His splitter also plays best when ahead in the count, as it has a strike rate around 50 percent, but when he lands it competitively, it’s hard for hitters to lay off it as it looks like a strike until falling off the table late. Eyanson has rounded out his arsenal by adding a high-80s cutter to give him an east-west component in his primarily north-south arsenal. Results have been mixed against it, and it’s still a work in progress, but it has potential as a bridge pitch between his fastball and other breaking balls.
“Some people in the game are completely stunned by what the Red Sox gave up for Adley Rutschman. Said one evaluator from another [organization]: ‘I’m absolutely dumbfounded by this … This is literally one of the most ridiculous trades I’ve seen in 30 years.’”
“Remember, multiple things can be true.
The O’s just got a haul and a half for 1.5 years of a player that’s been on the IL five times in the last 14 months.
Trading Adley is also a massive gut punch to a fanbase that thought that era of O’s baseball was gonna mean something.”
Dan Connolly, Former BaltimoreBaseball.com and The Athletic Orioles’ writer:
“I wrote in 2019 that what Mike Elias did with the No. 1 pick and how it played out would define his legacy as O’s GM. I stand by that statement. Rutschman’s solid but unspectacular O’s career mirrored Elias’. Some good moments but not nearly what was expected with the hype.”
Lance Brozdowski, Player Development Analyst for Marquee Network, on Foul Territory:
“I texted someone in another front office, and he said the Orioles got duped, where they’re basically taking on damaged goods in Eyanson and Witherspoon.”
“So in return for the first of four years of tanking, the Orioles get zero playoff wins and the prospects from the Red Sox. Make it make sense. Well, the ownership at that time made a lot of money.”
“The return on Rutschman is quite respectable – strong even. The Orioles also have Basallo ready to assume the position full-time once healthy. The problem with all of it is that Baltimore is now undertaking what’s a deep sell despite being very close to playoff position in the AL. That’s weak behavior for a team that should be angling for contention. The O’s are at grave risk of seeing the recent rebuild bear no fruit whatsoever, and Mike Elias’ job should be in danger at this point. The return gets an A. The philosophical framework of the trade gets an F. “
“From a process perspective, Elias did well to get so much talent in exchange for a star player in the midst of an injury-plagued two-year slump. Basallo’s emergence, which made Rutschman expendable in the first place, is another unalloyed plus for the franchise.
But the Orioles, with three straight No. 1 global prospects and numerous other homegrown hitters in the lineup, were unable to win a playoff game with all that talent. Their offense went dark against the Royals in their last playoff appearance; it’s hard not to wonder if things would’ve been different had they gotten more out of Jackson Holliday or Heston Kjerstad.
And with Eyanson and Witherspoon representing so much of the value in this trade, the focus returns to Baltimore’s inability to develop pitching internally. What else could Rutschman have done for this team had the Orioles been able to develop (or sign) enough pitching to obviate the need for an Eyanson?
The Orioles are probably going to be better off in the long run for their decision to pivot away from their original franchise player. But that change in course should come with a measure of regret that Elias and the O’s couldn’t make Plan A work in the first place.”