Red Sox players sad to see Connelly Early go, but excited to welcome Curtis Mead’s bat into the lineup
When Payton Tolle heard Saturday night that fellow Red Sox lefthander Connelly Early was on the move, his initial reaction was that he was being duped.
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“One of … my wife’s friends texted us and said, “Oh my gosh, Early got traded,” Tolle recalled. “And I was like, ‘call her, because we got to tell her that it’s [artificial intelligence].’ So I didn’t think it was real for a while.”
Tolle then saw the news for himself on social media, which verified that the Sox traded Early to the Nationals in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead.
For Tolle, who grew close with Early during their parallel rise through the Sox’ minor league system and shared time in the big leagues, the news was bittersweet.
But, as numerous Sox players expressed Sunday, Tolle was also encouraged by the broader message the trade sent. Following the dramatic turnaround over the past month, Boston’s front office is willing to make significant moves to improve the team.
“This is probably the first [experience with a player] that I’ve been close with [getting] traded,” said Tolle, who spoke with Early shortly after news broke. “You kind of prepare yourself that in this business, this is going to happen. So I just hope nothing but the best for him.”
Tolle added: “I think that we’ve now put it in a spot that we need to make this team as good as we possibly can, and whatever moves need to happen are going to happen.”
Early, who was on the injured list with elbow inflammation at the time of the trade, went 8-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 21 starts for Boston.
Catcher Carlos Narváez thought back to Early’s big league debut in Sacramento on Sep. 9, 2025, where he dazzled with 11 strikeouts in five scoreless innings against the Athletics.
That performance kickstarted Early’s whirlwind five-start stretch late in the 2025 season, which concluded with his start in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.
“Even in his first outing in the big leagues, he was throwing every pitch at any count, like electric stuff, throwing 96 [miles per hour], even touching 97. Spin was amazing,” said Narváez. “I knew then he was going to be great.”
The flip side is the addition of Mead, a righthanded infielder who is amid a breakout season — in 87 games, he posted 17 home runs, 48 RBIs, and a .852 OPS.
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Mead primarily played third base in Washington, though he has big league experience at all four infield positions.
“There’s a lot of guys in there that are very close with Connelly, and he’s been a huge part of this,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “I think at the same time, it sends a message like, ‘Hey, we’re trying to do some things to fill some gaps, with the run scoring and things like that, and we added a power bat.’”
One Sox player potentially impacted is Caleb Durbin, who ranks third among American League third basemen in Outs Above Average, according to MLB Statcast.
Tracy said that the Red Sox’ current plan is to keep Durbin at third and use Mead primarily at second, though Durbin remained in communication with Tracy following the trade and expressed his willingness to play anywhere.
“We all figured something was coming just because of the position we put ourselves in to add, and I mean, they’ve been great at communicating with me as far as my role and how that might be affected,” said Durbin. “It’s been good communication, and I’m excited to get Curtis here.”
The trade also signals a vote of confidence in lefthanded starter Jake Bennett, whom the Sox acquired in December, also in a deal with the Nationals.
Bennett has established himself as a building block with a 2.58 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 10 starts, and like Early and Tolle, has five full seasons of team control remaining.
“It sucks to see him go, but I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for him,” said Bennett. “These things are crazy. You never know what’s going to happen.”
As the Sox prepare to welcome Mead on Monday, his addition serves as a strong indicator of where the team stands.
“We put our names up there. A month ago, nobody would’ve talked about [making a major addition],” said Narváez. “The energy right now, the chemistry, it’s really good. So of course we want to welcome him and he’s going to be on board right away.”
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