A forgotten trade the New York Yankees made with rivals the Boston Red Sox in December is starting to look more and more like a fleece job by the Bronx Bombers.

Long before the Yankees’ season went sideways, back when they were still viewed as a World Series contender, they made a rare trade with the Red Sox that sent catcher Carlos Narvaez to Beantown. In exchange, the Pinstripes received Single-A prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.

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Rodriguez-Cruz was ranked 13th in the team’s system on MLB.com at the time. However, it seemed like Boston did not value him that highly by giving the pitcher up for a backup catcher. Making the deal seem potentially worse is that Narvaez was given the starting job in Boston and has turned into a solid contributor for them as they contend for a playoff spot in 2025.

Yet, while the Red Sox seemed like a clear winner in the trade, things have quickly changed. And the Yanks are now looking like the winners in the deal. In 2025, Rodriguez-Cruz has quickly risen in New York’s prospect rankings on MLB.com and now sits at sixth overall. He had a good start to the year at High A-Ball. But has been even better since getting promoted to Double-A recently.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz stats (Double-A): 3-1 Record, 1.41 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 30 strikeouts, 8 walks

In five appearances, he has posted a 1.41 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and a 30-8 strikeout to walk ratio. The Yankees’ development team has obviously been able to unleash something in the 21-year-old. Well, during a recent media scrum at a Somerset Patriots game, Rodriguez-Cruz explained what the organization has done to turn him into one of their top pitching prospects.

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“Ever since I got here, they put more emphasis on trusting all my stuff and using all my pitches. Getting good counts. And trying to use all of them to my advantage where it plays best,” Rodriguez-Cruz said [h/t NESN]. “It’s just more confidence. Ever since I got here, they just let me pitch, and they’re letting me execute. And I feel like I’ve taken advantage of that.”

Good catchers are not easy to find, and maybe the Red Sox have something long-term in Narvaez. However, good pitching prospects hold a far higher value throughout baseball. With Rodriguez-Cruz’s impressive growth in 2025, it is fast looking like the Yankees were the real winners in their December trade with the hated Red Sox.

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