The Boston Red Sox performed well before the August 3 trade deadline, adding right-handed bats and critical swing-and-miss skills to their bullpen for their playoff push. They pulled off a rare inter-division trade (not without a massive cost) to land Adley Rutschman as a catching upgrade.
Rutschman, a longtime Baltimore Oriole, was the fanbase's first beacon of hope that things might be changing for the club. Rutschman was a first overall pick and many other savvy draft picks followed to bring a new wave of young talent to a desperate and dejected Baltimore team.
As important as Rutschman, the first of the "Baby Birds," is to O's fans, he had an even bigger impact on his teammates. Multiple former Orioles expressed their shock and disappointment to reporters following Rutschman's move to Boston.
"As a friend, he's someone who I've grown really close with. He's going to be in my wedding and someone I'm gonna miss dearly on a day-to-day basis," Colton Cowser said. "...I think that the initial shock of it was something that was tough to see, definitely some sadness there, and all I could do was give him a hug and tell him that I'm here for him and I love him."
Adley Rutschman's former Orioles teammates already miss him after deadline trade to Red Sox
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson could hardly issue a comment, saying: "Not easy for me... Somebody who’s been with me for seven years. ... I’m not going to be able to talk about it today. Sorry, guys.”
Orioles players clearly saw Rutschman as a critical player and personality in the clubhouse. That is exactly the type of player the close-knit Red Sox need. Boston's players have learned well each other's strengths and weaknesses to play clean defense and small ball offense. They prop each other up and cheer each other on, which shows in their game over their 24-3 streak since July 1. Based on his former teammate's reactions to his departure, Rutschman will fit right in.
Rutschman is on the injured list at the time of his arrival to Boston, which is suboptimal from a trade standpoint, since the Red Sox sacrificed a lot to make sure it could get an elite defender from a division rival. But his delayed debut gives him a chance to get to know his teammates before he ever steps on the field and that could help with cohesion when he's ready to play.
If Rutschman is the teammate Cowser and Henderson's comments suggest he is, he'll be well loved in Boston. Hopefully that translates to more offensive success than he had in the first half of the season to go with his elite defense behind the plate.
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