The New York Yankees announced that they traded catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Boston Red Sox in return for right-handed pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. The right-hander turned 21 years old this past August and spent time at Single-A and High-A, posting a 2.91 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout rate while running high groundball rates. Command has been an issue for the right-hander, but he’s had some success in a starting role and is highly projectable due to his frame and solid pitch mix.
As for Narvaez, he was a strong depth catcher who plays excellent defense while providing some power, and given the Red Sox trade of Kyle Teel earlier today for Garrett Crochet, it provides the Yankees with some more 40-man space and gives Boston a new catcher to provide depth.
Carlos Narvaez Dealt to Red Sox, Yankees Get Interesting Prospect
Last season was a productive one for Carlos Narvaez at the Triple-A level, as he posted a 108 wRC+ with 11 home runs in 96 games. The Yankees brought him up for his Major League debut as he played six games and had 15 trips to the plate, recording his first big-league hit in the process. The right-handed hitting catcher is known for his excellent framing and throwing abilities, which would appeal to a team that doesn’t have many defensive-oriented catchers in the organization.
Kyle Teel was traded earlier today in a deal that helped the Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, who bolsters the top of their rotation. With Boston in need of catching depth and the Yankees having both Austin Wells and Jose Trevino under contract, these two teams matched up very well. Last winter they made a deal involving Alex Verdugo, and Craig Breslow has shown that he isn’t afraid to make a deal with Brian Cashman and the Yankees.
As for who they got in return, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz is one of the better pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization and could be a fun name to watch in 2025. The right-hander is a young arm with a strong slider that could appeal to the Yankees who have always loved acquiring pitchers with excellent breaking balls. He does a great job keeping the ball on the ground, misses bats, but his erratic command will be something they try and work on.
FanGraphs ranked Cruz as the seventh-best prospect in the Red Sox organization, and he’s likely going to begin his season at High-A again in 2025.