4 takeaways from Craig Breslow’s Red Sox trade-deadline press conference

After a busy afternoon where the Red Sox reeled off three trades to bring in Adley Rutschman, Erik Miller, and Eli White, Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow met with the media on Monday after MLB’s trade deadline to discuss Rutschman, Marcelo Mayer, and several topics as his club readies for the stretch run.

Here are four takeaways from Breslow’s presser:

Weighing a steep cost

The Red Sox paid a hefty price to acquire Adley Rutschman from Baltimore, with Boston trading catcher Carlos Narvaez and prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Orioles.

It stands as a sizable drain on Boston’s prospect pipeline, with both Eyanson and Witherspoon standing as two of the Red Sox’s top pitching prospects. Those moves, including a deal last week that saw Connelly Early dealt to the Nationals for Curtis Mead, were not made lightly.

“I think anybody who makes a trade, especially nowadays when front offices are largely pulling from the same information and using a lot of the same tools, it’s uncomfortable,” Breslow said. “But I do think with the position that our team is in right now, the opportunity that we believe we have in front of us, it warranted being aggressive and meaningfully improving our outlook, and we’re hopeful that we did that today.”

Even with the Red Sox subtracting several promising young arms from their system, Boston still has a pair of talented rookie up in the majors in Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett — and has found success in recent years when it comes to developing pitching within the organization.

Beyond that confidence in restocking Boston’s pitching corps, Breslow acknowledged that a three-time All-Star like Rutschman is a player worth paying a premium for.

“He is a proven star in this league. We’ve obviously seen him a lot over the last few years in a position where we felt like there was an opportunity to bring someone in and improve the outlook here,” Breslow said. “As we looked to upgrade the team, this was an opportunity for us.

“In Adley, you get impact on both sides of the ball. He’s a premium defender, switch-hitter. So he’s a great fit for our park. He doesn’t strike out. He walks and gets on base. He can hit for damage.”

Rutschman’s recovery timeline

The Red Sox won’t have Rutschman in the lineup for Boston’s series opener against the White Sox on Tuesday, with the 28-year-old catcher still on the mend due to wrist inflammation.

​Rutschman, who landed on the IL on July 18, was seemingly nearing a return to the majors before his trade to Boston on Monday. But Breslow did not want to dive into a set timetable for when Boston’s top deadline pickup was going to make his debut with his new club.

“I talked to him earlier today,” Breslow said of his new catcher. “At this point, I’m not gonna try to put a timetable on what his return might look like. I think it’s best for him to get under our care, get our medical staff, our athletic trainers and our doctors’ hands on him. From there, we’ll figure out what the right course of action is here.​

“In talking to him, he’s very optimistic,” Breslow added. “He’s saying he feels quite a bit better.”

As Boston maps out the next steps for Rutschman, Breslow added that Connor Wong is expected to earn the lion’s share of reps at catcher in the short term — especially after Carlos Narvaez was dealt to Baltimore as part of that trade.

“Over the next couple weeks, we will get through it and give Adley a chance to get back to full strength,” Breslow said. “Fortunately, Connor has caught a bulk of games recently and has a ton of familiarity with the staff. I think we’re seeing some of the offensive upside. … We feel like we’re well-equipped to handle it.”​

Moving on from Mayer

While the Rutschman blockbuster deal drew plenty of headlines on Monday, the Red Sox also made the call to part ways with a younger player who was once viewed as a potential franchise fixture in 23-year-old shortstop Marcelo Mayer.

Boston dealt Mayer — a former top-five prospect in baseball — to the Giants in exchange for lefty reliever Erik Miller.

Mayer, who saw his stock dip over the last year due to concerns about his durability and hit tools, only played 114 total games with Boston across parts of two seasons. During that stretch, he batted .223 with seven home runs and 32 RBI.​

“He was a really big part of this organization and someone that was looked upon to be part of a core,” Breslow said of Mayer. “And I still think that’s going to happen. It’s going to happen with the San Francisco Giants at this point. But he’s an incredibly talented player.”

“In no way is this an indictment of Marcelo,” he added. “And I think in some ways it’s probably a credit to the player development group and the organization that we were able to make this trade and still feel like we’ve got players in-house or who are able to fill a major league shortstop role.”

Miller, 28, could slot in as an effective lefty power arm at the back end of an already stout Boston bullpen.

The lefty made 38 appearances (32.2 innings) with the Giants this season, posting a 2.76 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP, 45 strikeouts and 22 walks.

“As you think about a bullpen down the stretch and potentially into the postseason, the ability to bring guys in who can get swings and misses and shorten the game when relievers are available almost every night because of the schedule becomes really, really valuable,” Breslow said of Miller.

Arias’ future with Boston

One of the factors that potentially played into Mayer’s departure from Boston — as well as the Red Sox’ inability to add a shortstop before Monday’s deadline — is the continued ascension of Franklin Arias as a true blue-chip prospect.

Arias — a 20-year-old shortstop who is already making an impact at Triple-A Worcester — could slot in as Boston’s franchise shortstop within the next few years.

Given Arias’ upside and already promising production — coupled with the lack of proven options at both shortstop and second base on this current Red Sox roster — could Boston’s top prospect make his big-league debut at some point this fall?

“I hate to put those types of expectations on a 20-year-old,” Breslow said of Arias. “What I am very excited to say is that every challenge that he has faced, he’s met, which is pretty incredible for someone his age and what he’s done at each level. I just feel like we’ll continue to take note of what he’s doing.

“We’ll continue to put him in the best development environment that we can, and if he is the person who can help us, then we’ll have that conversation when it comes time.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.