The 2026 season officially ended on October 28 and the Boston Red Sox have wasted no time making their first offseason moves. Boston on October 29 re-signed minor league reliever Angel Bastardo and made a trade to clear a 40-man roster spot.
The Red Sox have traded Nate Eaton to the Athletics, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale and later confirmed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Boston will get 18-year-old righty pitching prospect Jareth Rayo in exchange, according to Francys Romero. Rayo pitched 36 innings in the Dominican Summer League this year.
The trade is the first of the offseason, and quite a surprise given that Eaton got a playoff start in Roman Anthony's stead after his hand injury was re-triggered during the Wild Card series. The Sox's 40-man roster is overfull as the offseason begins, with more players due to join the fray as the 60-day injured list closes. Since Boston has relatively few free agents (Patrick Sandoval and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have already hit free agency), it had to make a move.
It isn't surprising to see Craig Breslow making a trade with the A's, given a recent hire in their front office. The Athletics poached former Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith to be their president of baseball operations, the youngest in the league at age 31. Breslow has made a habit of trading with former Red Sox execs — he got Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from Chaim Bloom who now runs the St. Louis Cardinals and Ben Cherington is in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a frequent trade partner of the Sox's.
Red Sox trade speedy utility player Nate Eaton to A's shortly after Taylor Smith takes over as PBO
Eaton spent most of the 2026 regular season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, where he batted .253/.338/.410 with 16 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 81 strikeouts and 37 walks over 84 games. Eaton appeared in 24 major league games, many of them late in the season after Ceddanne Rafeala and Eli White fell injured. Eaton slashed .160/.300/.260 with two doubles, a home run, 16 strikeouts, eight walks and two stolen bases.
Despite his slow year at the plate, Eaton is always a threat on the base paths with 96th percentile speed. He's just the type of small ball player that clubs like the A's seek.
Eaton is a versatile defender with experience in the infield and outfield, but he was superfluous on the Red Sox roster. They have infield depth to go around with Franklin Arias, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and maybe Mikey Romero in the mix. As for the outfield, they still have Jarren Duran, as well as White and Jahmai Jones.
It's unfortunate to see a gutsy player like Eaton go, but the Red Sox must clear more 40-man space before the offseason truly begins. The Eaton deal probably won't be the last small, roster spot-opening trade Sox fans see before the expected lockout this winter.
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