Red Sox get Curtis Mead from Nats for Connelly Early
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- Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early in the first major trade of deadline season Saturday night, with the Aug. 3 deadline approaching.
- Curtis Mead, 25, hit .254/.352/.500 with 17 home runs in 87 games for Washington this season after the team picked him up from the Chicago White Sox on a DFA; he has played first, second, third and DH.
- Connelly Early, 24, posted a 3.24 ERA over 111 innings and 21 major league starts with 122 strikeouts and 38 walks, though he is currently on the injured list with elbow issues doctors don't believe are structural.
- The Red Sox rank 25th in MLB in runs scored despite a 15-game winning streak, and sources told ESPN they aren't expected to stop with this deal — Boston is still considering larger moves for another bat.
- The Nationals own the MLB's best offense but have languished around .500 because of a severe lack of pitching; Early's mid-90s fastball, slider and changeup address that gap.
- Other teams expect Washington to deal All-Star left-hander Foster Griffin, who has emerged as one of the best available rental arms on the market, as the Nationals weigh further moves before the deadline.
Why it matters: Boston lands a right-handed bat with impact potential to fix an offense ranked 25th in runs scored, while Washington gets a frontline starter to explain why they've sat near .500 despite the league's best offense. Early's elbow injury clouds the return for the Nationals, who must now weigh whether to sell Griffin as a rental. Sources say Boston isn't finished, with a bigger bat still on the wish list before Aug. 3.
