Last Saturday, Paul Toboni pushed over the first of what could be many dominoes ahead of Major League Baseball's August 3 trade deadline; sending breakout third baseman Curtis Mead to Boston in exchange for left-handed starter Connelly Early.
Under team-control until 2032, Connelly Early projects to be a staple of Washington's rotation for years to come. It's probably time to get acquainted.
So, who is Connelly Early?
Todd Connelly McNeil Early began his collegiate career at Army before transferring to the University of Virginia for the 2023 season. Drafted in the 5th round of the 2023 draft by the Boston Red Sox, Early made his MLB debut in the middle of a pennant race on September 9, 2025, where he struck out eleven batters in five shut-out innings.
In 21 appearances for the Red Sox, the six-foot-three lefty has earned an 8-7 record, with a 3.24 ERA. He joins the Nationals while rehabbing left elbow inflammation. His last start for the Red Sox came on June 30 at Fenway Park, coincidentally against his future team. According to MLB.com, Early projects to make a rehab start down in West Palm Beach later today, August 3rd.
Central Virginia Native
Early played his high school ball at James River HS in Midlothian, VA; roughly 125 miles from Washington D.C.. As previously mentioned, after pitching for the Army for two seasons, he finished his collegiate career at the University of Virginia.
Upon his arrival in Washington, Early told MLB.com's Jessica Camerato that he is excited to be playing close to home.
“I can have my grandparents come up here. I can have my parents up here a lot. On my mom's side of the family, some people live up in Ashburn. So to have them close to me, that's super nice.”
- Connelly Early
Though he has yet to make an appearance, Early seems to be settling into the nation's capital just fine.
No Stranger to Nationals Leadership
When Early was drafted to the Red Sox in summer of 2023, current Nationals President of Baseball operations Paul Toboni was Boston's VP of Scouting and Development. In their time within the Red Sox organization together, Toboni learned enough about Early to trade for him less than one year into his job with the Nationals.
Toboni had high praise for Early when speaking with MLB.com's Jessica Camerato this week:
“You all will see it soon, but he’s just a stud. A stud. A competitor. Incredibly composed out there. Brings great energy to the clubhouse. He’s one of my favorites that I’ve been around. An awesome get for us, obviously the talent, but also from a clubhouse perspective, he couldn’t be better.”
- Toboni on Early to MLB.com
Toboni clearly believes that Early can, and will be an important part of the Nationals' future.
Six-Pitch Southpaw
Washington's newest starter deploys a six-pitch mix. Early throws a four-seam fastball, a sinker, changeup, curveball, slider, and a sweeper (via Baseball Savant). Against left-handed hitters, Early, a left-hander himself, essentially drops from six pitches to three -- relying on almost exclusively his fastball, sinker, and sweeper to attack left-handed hitters.
Through his 21 starts, Early carries a 3.24 ERA, 9.1 strikeouts per nine, 8.0 hits per nine, and 1.5 home runs per nine.
Rotation Fit with the Nationals
The Nationals expect Early to join their rotation this season. The only question now is where he'll slot into Blake Butera's rotation.
If Foster Griffin remains with the Nationals beyond the deadline, I think he'll keep his spot as the "ace" at the top of Washington's rotation -- he's an All-Star, he's earned that. Cade Cavalli has pitched very well this season too.
If I had to guess, I think Connelly Early would slot into Washington's top three -- behind Griffin and Cavalli, and ahead of Littell and Mikolas, if they remain in the rotation as the Nationals push towards the postseason. Not to forget about Jake Irvin either, if he comes back healthy to rejoin the rotation.
Why Connelly Early?
Paul Toboni's comments make it clear that trading for Early is more than about reuniting with a familiar face. He believes Early can help Washington in a big way.
Connelly Early is only 24, yet is already a productive MLB pitcher -- last year, the Red Sox gave him the ball in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the AL Wild Card against the Yankees. He's a major league talent who has already proven he can be successful.
The Nationals desperately needed pitching. Toboni addressed that need by turning an unexpected bright spot at third-base in Curtis Mead into a 24-year-old left-hander with a career 3.24 ERA and five years of team control remaining.
Welcome to D.C., Connelly Early.
What do you think of this move? Let me know in the comments, or as always, on X (@andrewpindc).
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