The Red Sox made two sizable deals at the trade deadline — one which landed them second baseman Curtis Mead and the other in which they obtained catcher Adley Rutschman.
At the time, it seemed like a job well done by president of baseball operations Craig Breslow. Mead gave them a righthanded run producer to deepen their lineup and Rutschman, a three-time All-Star, represented a big upgrade behind the plate.
But almost a month later, the deals look very different. Mead had the misfortune of breaking his wrist in his second plate appearance with the team and isn't guaranteed to play again this season. And Rutschman, who was on the IL at the time of the trade with a wrist injury, is now dealing with a hyperextended elbow that complicates his availability.
No matter how talented the two are, if they're not available, then they're not very valuable.
Breslow, of course, can't be blamed for either setback. Injuries happen all the time. Mead was hit by a pitch while Rutschman suffered the setback while swinging a bat. No one could have anticipated either.
But at the end of the day, players are judged on their performance — Mead isn't contributing at all and Rutschman's availability seems to be a day-to-day proposition. Even when he's played, he hasn't done a lot to help with one homer.
This isn't what the Red Sox had in mind when the trades were made.
The Sox gave up a valuable young starter in Connelly Early to land Mead. The package for Rutschman was prospect-based and can't be properly judged for some time.
Without Mead, the Red Sox have been going with Nick Sogard at second, who's been a bright spot. Still, Sogard doesn't pack much punch — he hit his first two major league homers last month — and doesn't force opposing teams to gameplan for him the way Mead might.
While Rutschman rests, the Sox are going with Connor Wong more — a capable No. 2 catcher, but not someone who can impact the game the way a healthy Rutschman can.
Trades are complicated to evaluate, and making snap judgements is a dangerous practice. But for now, the Sox aren't getting much out of either player, and there's no guarantee that's going to change anytime soon.
