In what is setting up to be a crazy 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the Washington Nationals decided to make the first notable move of the upcoming frenzy. On the heels of evening up their huge weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday afternoon, the Nationals made a trade that might just reveal a little bit about their deadline strategy and future plans.
After weeks of trying to guess what the Nationals were going to do at the deadline, it seems like Paul Toboni and the front office decided to read one of our articles talking about teams the Nationals should be calling to go out and acquire a controllable starting pitcher.
Nationals acquire Connelly Early from Red Sox for Curtis Mead
Wow. That was my first reaction to seeing the tweet from Jeff Passan that the Nationals had decided to trade 2026 breakout star Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Connelly Early. Mead had been acquired from the White Sox shortly before the season began, and I had written about him just a couple of days ago being a true breakout star, and how it was Paul Toboni's best move of the offseason regarding trades.
He now will cash in on Mead, and ended up going back to the well of his old franchise up in Boston. While losing Mead is tough, the idea of bringing on Early as a controllable starting pitching piece for the team for years to come is a very exciting one, and could be one that helps the Nationals not only in the interim, but long-term as well.
BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are trading left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2026
Early came into this season ranked as the #56 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and was expected to be one of Boston's top rotation arms for the future. However, with the emergence of other prospects like Jake Bennett, whom the Nationals traded away during the offseason, the Red Sox felt as if Early was expendable enough to be able to get a bat who should play tremendously in Fenway Park in Mead.
This is now the second trade Toboni has made with his former club since taking over the baseball operations for the Nationals, and the acquisition of Early, who is under team control until after 2032, is a great move in my opinion. So far this season, Early has pitched to a 7-5 record with a 3.44 ERA, and 1.255 WHIP to go along with 93 strikeouts in 91.2 innings. Overall, the former Virginia Cavalier likely profiles nicely into the middle of the Nationals' rotation for years to come.
After acquiring Mead for 2025 6th-rounder Boston Smith at the end of March, Toboni was able to flip Mead to Boston in exchange for Early. Essentially, Toboni was able to turn a 2025 6th-rounder into a guy who was a Top 60 prospect in the sport in just a matter of 4 months. To me, this is great work all-around, and while losing Mead certainly stings in the interim for the lineup, perhaps Brady House will get a look in the majors again.
What do you think of the Nationals swapping Curtis Mead for Connelly Early? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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