The Boston Red Sox have ruled this offseason when it comes to pitcher trades. The additions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo to their starting rotation are sure to boost their staff, and on December 15 he made another trade to strengthen their already extensive pool of depth.

The Red Sox traded top pitching prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals organization in exchange for their No. 11 prospect, Jake Bennett, first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. Both players held 40-man roster spots before the trade and the Red Sox will not have to make a corresponding move to accommodate Bennett, whom the Nationals protected from this year’s Rule 5 Draft.

The Red Sox signed Perales, a righty entering his age-23 season, as an international free agent out of Venezuela. He pitched briefly in the minor leagues in 2025 after he underwent Tommy John surgery the season before. He didn’t allow a run but surrendered a walk in one inning with Double-A Portland, and he surrendered two runs on no hits, two walks and four strikeouts over 1.1 innings with the WooSox. He was also an Arizona Fall League All-Star earlier this offseason.

Perales hit 100 miles per hour with his fastball after his return from Tommy John surgery (subscription required). The Red Sox quickly promoted him to Triple-A for the first time after his season debut and did not rule out the possibility of calling him up to help the big league bullpen in the midst of their playoff push. He never got the call, however.

Red Sox and Nationals swap top pitching prospects Luis Perales and Jake Bennett in rare trade

Bennett, 25, was a former teammate of current Red Sox top pitching prospect David Sandlin at Oklahoma University before the Nationals selected him in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The lefty missed the entire 2024 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in September the previous year, but he bounced back well in 2025. He posted a 2.27 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 64 strikeouts and 19 walks over 75.1 innings across Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He’s 6-foot-6, has great control and “elite extension,” in Passan’s words — all factors chief baseball officer Craig Breslow covets in his preferred arms.

This could be the first of many trades between the Red Sox and Nationals in the future. Boston has become a frequent trade partner with teams managed by some of its former front office execs, including the Pirates with former GM Ben Cherington in charge, and the Cardinals, now run by former CBO Chaim Bloom. The Nats hired former Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni as their president of baseball operations this winter, and he knows the ins and outs of the Sox’s farm system. Breslow has avoided free agents and stuck to the trade market so far this offseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides make another exchange, especially given the rumors that MacKenzie Gore could be available.