Red Sox Make Rare Trade With Yankees, Fill Void Left By Garrett Crochet Blockbuster

A trade with the Bombers for a second-straight winter

Jul 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes (L) waits to be relieved next to catcher Carlos Narvaez (R) during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox made their biggest move of the offseason with the trade for star pitcher Garrett Crochet on Wednesday. It turned out not to be their only trade of the day.

In the return for Crochet, the Red Sox sent top catching prospect Kyle Teel to the Chicago White Sox. Teel was presumed to be the catcher of the future in Boston, so his departure left an obvious void behind Connor Wong.

In a rare trade with the arch-rival New York Yankees, the Red Sox quickly filled that void.

On Wednesday evening, the Red Sox officially announced the acquisition of catcher Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodríguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool space. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported the trade via X.

To clear room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated second baseman Enmanuel Valdez, their Opening Day starter in 2024, for assignment.

Though it is unlikely to prove relevant in this instance, signing bonus pool space is of importance this season because 23-year-old superstar pitcher Rōki Sasaki, the top prize included in this year's class, is subject to that pool. Before the trade, both the Yankees and Red Sox opened the signing period with just over $6.2 million in bonus money.

Narváez, 26, made his major-league debut with the Yankees in 2024, appearing in just six games and collecting three hits in 13 at-bats. He owns a .746 career OPS in nearly 1,700 minor-league at-bats, including a .364 OBP and 46 home runs.

The Red Sox certainly needed another catcher to make it through the season, after the departures of Teel in the Crochet deal and Danny Jansen to the Tampa Bay Rays in free agency. This solves that need, and Narváez is regarded as an excellent defensive catching prospect, which should complement Wong's skillset well.

If neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees land Sasaki, there won't be any sensationalist subplots to discuss, and we'll be left over with an interesting trade at the margins to evaluate. Narváez could prove hugely helpful to Boston in their quest for the playoffs in 2025.

More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To Cut Ties With Gold Glover After Blockbuster Garrett Crochet Trade