In a rare transaction, the Nationals and Red Sox have agreed to swap pitching prospects. The clubs have announced a one-man deal that sends them accordingly Luis Perales to Washington and southpaw Jake Bennett to Boston. Neither player has made his MLB debut but both are on the 40-man roster.
It’s the kind of trade that fans often love to make but is nearly impossible to make in practice. Neither Bennett nor Perales could be at the top, but each was ranked among the top 10 talents in their respective organizations by Baseball America. Teams tend to value their chances more than those in other systems. That’s only natural, since they liked the player enough to get them in the first place and contribute to their development.
That makes it difficult for teams to align on the specifics of potential deals — at least those that aren’t highly motivated by program considerations. This was driven by the regime change in Washington. The Nationals hired former Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their president of baseball operations. He hired a number of Boston staff in front and player development roles. They obviously liked Perales enough to make him a priority.
Perales is a 22-year-old who signed with the Sox out of Venezuela. He has shown great batting skills with a command that is very relevant. The Sox added him to their 40-man roster through the 2023-24 season to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Perales sat out seven games the following season and underwent Tommy John surgery. He missed almost all of the 2025 rematch, returning only for three short appearances in the final week. This included his first two appearances in Triple-A, where he returned to pumping a 99 MPH fastball with a low-90s cutter and a mid-80s changeup.
Baseball America’s scouting report understandably recommends the fastball. They also rate the cutter as a combination pitch but note that he will need to improve his offspeed pitch and significantly improve his control if he is going to stick as a starter. While there’s a good chance he ends up in short relief, the Nationals shouldn’t rush that. They could option him to Double-A or Triple-A as a starter or multi-inning reliever as they monitor his innings in his first full season back from surgery.
Bennett, 25, is a 6’6″ lefty who was added to Washington’s 40-man roster last month. They needed to keep him out of this winter’s Rule 5 draft. Like Perales, he was taken back by the Tommy John process. His surgery came after the 2023 campaign and ended his 24th season. The Oklahoma University product returned to the mound last May. He made 19 appearances between three levels and reached Double-A. Bennett logged a 2.27 earned run average in 75 1/3 innings. He recorded a slightly below average 21.5% strikeout rate but kept his walks at a clean 6.4% clip.
BA credits Bennett with the extra change as the only outstanding contribution to the six-tier arsenal. You have more control and size to produce a nice extension. Bennett’s fastball only sits at 92-93 MPH on average. It’s unlikely he’ll miss a ton of at-bats unless the Sox can coax more velocity out of him, but the safest bet is for Perales to stick with his rotation. Bennett should reach Triple-A sometime next season and have a chance to play before the end of the year, though that could take a toll on the starters ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Red Sox are opting for a more stable starting backfield profile while the Nationals are adopting a risk-awarding game. Bennett has a three-year minor league option. Perales is heading into his third option year but may be eligible for a fourth option in 2027 due to his limited career.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the trade. The following images are courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Jaylynn Nash, Imagn Images.
