Nationals Steal Top Prospect From Red Sox After Disappointing Start To Career

The Nationals have swiped two prominent prospects from Boston this season

Scott Neville | Dec 22, 2022

Nationals Steal Top Prospect From Red Sox After Disappointing Start To Career /

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A large part of the Washington Nationals' rebuild will rely on the historic package they received for superstar outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the San Diego Padres.

The rest of the plan appears to consist of siphoning prospects from the Boston Red Sox.

The Nationals claimed middle infielder Jeter Downs off waivers Thursday after the 24-year-old was designated for assignment a week prior.

Downs hit .154 with a double, home run, four RBIs and a basement-level .427 OPS in 14 games. His 21-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio outlined his inability to put bat-to-ball over the last two seasons.

The struggling prospect hit .193 with .661 OPS in two seasons for Triple-A Worcester before ultimately being designated for assignment.

While it appears that the Nationals might have done Boston a favor, Downs was the key prospect in the Mookie Betts trade, and was once ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Red Sox's farm system.

Instead of Downs returning to the Red Sox organization outside the 40-man roster, he'll attempt to get his career back on track in Washington's farm system.

The news comes shortly after the Nationals spent the No. 1 pick in the 2022 Rule-5 Draft on former Red Sox right-hander Thad Ward.

While Downs is more of a low-risk, high-reward lottery ticket, Ward is a much more promising prospect, who would not have been in a position to be stolen had he stayed healthy over the last few seasons -- or if the Red Sox valued him correctly before the draft.

Boston will have to wait and see as both Downs and Ward attempt to make the Red Sox regret letting them go.

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Published Dec 22, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu