The Boston Red Sox made an in-season trade for more right-handed hitting help.
They acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-hander Connelly Early.
Early made just one appearance with the Nationals, and Mead had just two plate appearances with the Red Sox before suffering an injury.
Mead suffered a broken wrist on a hit-by-pitch from Athletics right-hander Jack Perkins. He missed the rest of the regular season and was activated to replace Roman Anthony in the Wild Card Series.
However, manager Chad Tracy never used Mead off the bench in the postseason.
Still, the Red Sox may have him as their full-time second baseman in 2027, Tracy told reporters, including The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey.
“He was acquired for a reason. You see the numbers that kind of project at least toward a 30-home run season. And adding that, we were really excited about that,” Tracy told Healey.
In 88 games with the Nationals, Mead hit .253/.353/.498 with 17 home runs and a .851 OPS.
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Before 2026, Mead combined to hit just four homers in 152 games with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox designated the 25-year-old for assignment at the end of spring training.
Now, the Red Sox sound fairly confident that Mead will have a strong opportunity to win the second base job at next year’s spring training.
