Carlos Narvaez -- General News

The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees on December 11, 2024, sending pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and $250,000 in international bonus pool space in return. The transaction received little initial attention, with modest expectations that the 26-year-old Venezuelan could compete as a backup to Connor Wong. However, Narváez has vastly exceeded those projections. After Wong sustained a fractured left pinkie finger committing catcher's interference in the 11th game of the season, Narváez took over primary catching duties and has since become one of MLB's elite defensive catchers by Statcast metrics. He ranks in the 90th percentile across all four key defensive categories: +5 overall fielding run value (9th in MLB), +4 blocks above average (4th among catchers), +3 framing runs (3rd), and +2 caught stealing above average (6th). Offensively, Narváez has also impressed, posting a .279/.343/.459 batting line with 7 doubles, 5 homers, and 15 RBIs in 122 at-bats. Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged Narváez's strong performance and expressed temptation to move him up in the batting order, though noting the player is currently in an optimal situation batting eighth or ninth in 32 of his first 34 starts.

The New York Yankees announced they are calling up pitcher Elmer Rodriguez for his MLB debut on Wednesday. Rodriguez, 22, was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in December 2024 in exchange for catcher Carlos Narváez and $250,000 in international bonus pool space. The right-handed prospect has performed exceptionally well in Triple-A this season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, posting a 1.27 ERA over 21⅓ innings with a 0.89 WHIP across four starts. He has recorded 20 strikeouts against just seven walks, holding opponents to a .171 batting average, with his four-seam fastball averaging 94.9 mph.

Rodriguez originally signed with the Red Sox in 2021 as the 105th overall pick in the fourth round, forgoing a University of Oregon commitment after being selected out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico at just 17 years old. He received a $497,500 signing bonus. The 6-foot-4 pitcher also performed well last season in his first year with the Yankees organization, compiling a 2.58 ERA across 27 outings (26 starts) spanning High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels. Baseball America currently ranks him the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees system and No. 53 on its overall Top 100 prospect list.

The trade also involved the movement of Carlos Narváez from New York to Boston. Narváez has developed into an elite defensive catcher for the Red Sox, ranking in the 100th percentile for blocks above average (5) and 96th percentile for framing (3), while also placing in the 77th percentile for caught stealing above average (1).