Deciphering what the Red Sox are doing
The Red Sox have traded one of their top pitching prospects for ... another pitching prospect.
The team shipped its No. 7 overall prospect (according to MLB Pipeline) Luis Perales, a hard-throwing righty pitcher, to the Nationals for that team's No. 11 prospect, lefty hurler Jake Bennett.
Both players were on their respective teams' 40-man rosters.
Perales had reached Double-A at 21 years old in 2024, but succumbed to Tommy John surgery after two starts in Portland. He returned in the final month of last season before pitching in the Arizona Fall League.
Standing at 6-foot-1, Perales represents a different kind of pitcher than the player he has been dealt for. Bennett, a second-round pick of the Nationals in 2022, stands at 6-foot-6 and also underwent Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss the entire 2024 season.
Bennett bounced back in 2025 to turn in a stellar campaign over three levels, ultimately finishing the season at Double-A, where he totaled a 2.56 ERA over 10 appearances. In 19 total outings last season, Bennett managed a 2.27 ERA, striking out 64 in 75 1/3 innings.
The Red Sox view him as a starting pitcher.