“His whiff rates and ability to manage hard contact have us confident in his ability to be a major league starter.”
Luis Perales was the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s system, per Baseball America. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
The Red Sox pulled off a rare prospect-for-prospect swap on Monday night.
In a 1-on-1 trade with Washington, Boston traded away right-handed prospect Luis Perales to the Nationals in exchange for lefty pitcher Jake Bennett.
While neither Perales nor Bennett have pitched in the big leagues, Monday’s move does stand as a gamble for both the Red Sox and Nationals in terms of moving on from high-upside arms before they make a push for MLB reps.
“We feel like Bennett is a high probability starter that excels in some things that are hard to teach,” Breslow said, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Fastball playability driven by above average extension and strike throwing ability. His whiff rates and ability to manage hard contact have us confident in his ability to be a major league starter.”
Bennett, 25, was tabbed as Washington’s No. 6 prospect by Baseball America. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound lefty missed all of the 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, but did pitch across three levels of competition during the 2025 campaign.
A 2022 second-round pick out of Oklahoma, Bennett sported a 2.27 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 19 games last year — ending his season in Double-A. Over 75.1 innings last year, Bennett struck out 64 batters while issuing 19 walks.
Jake Bennett was the #6 ranked prospect for the Nationals.
6-6 lefty. 2nd round pick back in 2022. Made 9 starts at Double-A this past season with a 2.56 ERA/3.20 FIP. That included a 6.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
Plus control. Funky low 3-quarter arm slot.pic.twitter.com/JzEFZdOooL
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) December 16, 2025
Perales, 23, is also coming off Tommy John surgery that kept him off the mound until September. But the 22-year-old righty was valued as one of Boston’s top young arms alongside Payton Tolle and Connelly Early — ranking as the Red Sox’s No. 5 prospect, per Baseball America.
Perales quickly rose through the ranks of Boston’s farm system, reaching Double-A in 2024 before going under the knife. During the Arizona Fall League, Perales reached triple digits with his fastball, but struggled with his command — issuing 11 walks in 11.1 innings of work.
Monday’s deal marked the latest pitching-focused deal orchestrated by Breslow and the Red Sox — with Boston acquiring Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo in separate trades over the last few weeks.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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