Red Sox, Nationals get deadline stretch run started by swapping Early and Mead

By: Noah Trister, The Associated Press Posted: 12:34 AM CDT Sunday, Jul. 26, 2026

The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early on Saturday night.

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The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early on Saturday night.

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The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early on Saturday night.

Both teams are in the mix for a wild card in their respective leagues, and with the trade deadline a little over a week away, the Red Sox and Nationals made a deal involving two significant major league contributors. Mead has hit .254 with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs this season, and Early is 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts.

The Nationals acquired Mead in March after he was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox. Now the 25-year-old from Australia heads to the Red Sox after blossoming in Washington for what has surprisingly been the highest-scoring team in baseball. He has largely played at the corner infield spots this year, with a little time at second.

Washington Nationals' Curtis Mead (45) high-fives CJ Abrams (5) after scoring during the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, July 17, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Boston surged into contention with a 15-game winning streak that ended earlier this week. After Saturday’s loss to Toronto, the Red Sox occupy the second wild-card spot in the American League with a 53-50 record. Mead gives Boston a right-handed bat at Fenway Park at a time when the offense is trying to overcome injuries to Trevor Story and Roman Anthony.

Washington, meanwhile, is two games out of a postseason spot, its powerful offense negated by poor pitching in a season when the Nationals weren’t expected to do much.

The 24-year-old Early is currently on the injured list with elbow problems. Ironically, his last appearance on the mound was June 30 against Washington, when he threw four scoreless innings before leaving. That was the same night the teams had a scuffle involving Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli and Boston hitter Willson Contreras.