In December, fans of the Boston Red Sox were left scratching their heads at the announcement of a trade. The Red Sox sent pitching prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals for pitching prospect Jake Bennett.
Perales is considered the better prospect, is significantly younger (22 compared to Bennett’s 25), and ended 2025 closer to the majors. While Bennett’s season ended in Double-A, the Red Sox pushed Perales to Triple-A with legitimate rumblings that he could be used out of the bullpen for the postseason.
It wasn’t even a roster situation. Perales and Bennett were both on the 40-man roster, so neither team was freeing up a spot.
While most of the talk was about the Red Sox seemingly losing the trade, there was some buzz about the fit. Bennett appeared to better fit the mold of what Boston was building. Perales is a right-handed pitcher with a more compact build, while Bennett is a massive lefty with serious extension.
The left-handed pitcher was heralded more for his command than his power on the mound. However, the Red Sox saw that extension and clearly felt they could unlock something (Payton Tolle, anyone?).
Red Sox prospect Jake Bennett is already reaching new highs on fastball
Last season, Bennett maxed out on his fastball at 95.8 MPH. That’s certainly nothing to laugh at, especially with his extension. In his first game of spring training with the Red Sox, Bennett topped out at 97.6 MPH. That’s a game in February. Think about where he could be in May.
You could argue that there could be arm fatigue, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up, but once again, it's noteworthy that this is what we saw from Tolle last year, as well. The Red Sox clearly have an arm program that is working for them. It’s helping pitchers add velocity, and it rewards elite extension on the mound.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, it was easy for people to point out that Perales was the higher-rated prospect, and the move made little sense. We’re not about to trash Perales here, either — he could have an incredible future in front of him and he could become an ace in Washington.
However, with a little bit of time, it’s pretty clear what the Red Sox saw. They saw an elite arm that wasn’t being unlocked properly by another organization and took the opportunity to snatch him up.
In a vacuum, adding some velocity to his fastball doesn’t mean Bennett is now an undeniable star. That velocity makes his fastball more dangerous, which helps his already strong secondaries (including a fantastic changeup) play even better.
There’s more to pitching than just throwing hard. It certainly makes everything easier when you have velocity, though.
The Red Sox took a risk and made a statement when they traded Perales for Bennett. It may just be his first spring training appearance of the year, but the early returns on the move are ridiculously encouraging.