Red Sox Acquire Mead in Deadline Move | Washington Nationals News

**Corey** (0:00)
It's July 26th. Welcome in. This is Washington Nationals News Today, where your team meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. All right. Let's talk baseball trades. The Boston Red Sox just picked up infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals. In exchange, they sent over left-handed pitcher Connelly Early.
This went down Saturday night, and both teams are looking to make a playoff push, especially with the trade deadline creeping up. Mead's been putting up solid numbers this season, hitting 2-5-4 with 17 homers and 48 runs batted in. Early, on the other hand, has a 7-5 record with a 3-4-4 earned run average over 17 starts. It's a move that could shake things up for both clubs as they battle for wild card spots.
Mead, who hails from Australia, was originally with the Chicago White Sox before landing with the Nationals. He's been playing mostly at the corner infield positions this year, with some time at second base.
He joins a Red Sox squad that's been trying to find its rhythm, especially with some key players dealing with injuries. Boston has been on a roll, though they did have a 15-game winning streak snapped recently.
They're currently holding on to the second wild card spot in the American League. Mead's right-handed bat is seen as a boost to their offense, which has been trying to compensate for the absence of Trevor Story and Roman Anthony. Meanwhile, the Nationals are just two games back from a playoff spot. Their offense has been surprisingly potent, leading the league in scoring, but their pitching has been a weak point. Early, the pitcher they traded away, is currently on the injured list with elbow issues. It's interesting to know his last outing was against the Nationals themselves.