Red Sox had 'biggest overpay' of trade deadline, but it wasn't for Adley Rutschman

The Boston Red Sox made some of the most interesting trades of the 2026 MLB trade deadline. They acquired Adley Rutschman, Curtis Mead, and Erik Miller, among others, in a series of interesting deadline moves.

But, after the deadline passed, the Red Sox were believed by former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic to have made the "biggest overpay" of the entire deadline.

Most might assume it's their Rutschman blockbuster, but Bowden instead pointed towards their trade for Mead using Connelly Early as the "biggest overpay" of the entire deadline.

Red Sox trade for Curtis Mead called 'biggest overpay' of entire MLB trade deadline

"Biggest overpay: Boston Red Sox dealing LHP Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for INF Curtis Mead," Bowden writes. "Early has less than one year of service time and profiles as a mid-rotation starter with many years in the big leagues ahead of him. Sometimes you have to overpay in trades to better your team, which is why this trade actually made sense for the Red Sox despite the overpay."

Trading Early, a promising young pitcher with plenty of club control for Mead, a young slugger who seemed to finally find his footing with the Nationals after bouncing between a few clubs for a little while, was an overpay.

There's no denying that Boston paid more than Mead's value to acquire him from the Nationals. But, as Bowden noted, it sometimes takes an overpay to land a good player.

MORE: Red Sox expected to trade Jarren Duran during offseason, not MLB trade deadline

Mead is a good hitter and likely would've been a great addition for the Red Sox lineup. It's just incredibly unlucky that he got hurt two plate appearances into his career with Boston.

That injury has no bearing on whether this trade is viewed as an overpay, but it certainly doesn't help. Early is also not back in the big leagues just yet, as he's recovering from his own injury.

Still, the Red Sox giving up Early, a young controllable starting pitcher, for Mead was the "biggest overpay" of the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

Bowden doesn't mind the move, but he is acknowledging that Craig Breslow overpaid to acquire Mead to try to improve this offense.

More MLB news:

• Cubs land Kevin Gausman in blockbuster trade with Blue Jays
• What did Mets get for Freddy Peralta? Rays send three prospects for 4.99 ERA SP
• Tigers receive lousy grade for Tarik Skubal trade to Dodgers from ESPN
• How Cubs inadvertently helped Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal
• Royals DFA former Phillies All-Star reliever Matt Strahm after trade deadline