The Nationals will receive right-hander Luis Perales (the Red Sox’s No. 7 prospect, as ranked by MLB Pipeline at the time of the deal) in exchange for left-hander Jake Bennett (Nationals’ No. 11). Both clubs have confirmed the trade.
Perales, 22, has a relatively short professional resume and hasn’t seen much action over the last two seasons, having undergone Tommy John surgery in June 2024. He only made it back in the final days of the 2025 MiLB season, squeezing in three appearances between Double- and Triple-A and a further six in the Arizona Fall League. Despite allowing 16 runs (15 earned) over 13 2/3 combined innings, he also tallied 23 strikeouts, an encouraging return to form; at the time of his injury in 2024, he had a 2.94 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings (14.97 K/9).
Bennett, 25, was a second-round pick by the Nationals in 2022. He, too, was coming off Tommy John surgery in 2025, although he had considerably more time to settle in, having undergone the procedure back in Sept. 2023. He made 19 appearances (18 starts) this year, pitching to a combined 2.27 ERA. Bennett, like Perales, has minimal high-Minors experience to this point in his career; he made his Double-A debut in July 2025.
Deals exclusively involving prospects are uncommon, but there is a likely explanation in this case. Paul Toboni, who took over as the Nationals’ new president of baseball operations in October, spent almost a decade working in amateur scouting and player development with the Red Sox from 2015-23 before being named Boston’s assistant general manager ahead of the 2024 season.