Red Sox trade Connelly Early to Nationals for Curtis Mead

The Red Sox made one of the first big moves in the MLB on Saturday night, sending starting pitcher Connelly Early to the Nationals in exchange for Curtis Mead, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.

Mead played third base for most of his career, but has experience at first and second base. Boston’s current third baseman, Caleb Durbin, He said Boston Globe Alex Speer earlier on Saturday That he would be open to switching to second base if the team acquired a third baseman before the August 3 trade deadline.

According to Chris Cutillo of MassLiveBoston is still figuring out where Mead and Durbin will play in the lineup.

Med He had a solid 2026 at the platehe hit 17 home runs and batted .257 in 86 games with Washington. He also has 72 hits and 48 RBIs.

Early was one of several standouts on a stellar 2026 Red Sox team, pitching to a 3.44 ERA this season. But since Boston has enjoyed an abundance of talent in its starting rotation, younger pitchers like Early have gained a great deal of trade buzz as the Red Sox continue their surprising push toward the postseason.

Both Mead and Early are having standout seasons at their positions, and both the Red Sox and Nationals have used those early returns to capitalize on the other player.

Boston now gets some additional depth in the outfield, and another power hitter in the lineup alongside Durbin, Wilson Contreras, and Wiler Abreu. We’ve been searching for right-handed power putters for years in Boston, and Meade fits the bill.

It’s a short flight from Washington, D.C., to Boston, so it’s possible Mead could join the team as early as Sunday’s game with the Blue Jays. But given the short turnaround, it’s more likely he’ll make his Red Sox debut at some point during the road series against the Athletics.