The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rarely trade with one another.
A bunch of prominent players have featured for both franchises, but it’s not often the direct result of a swap between the bitter rivals.
This offseason, though, the teams made a trade. It’s very likely you didn’t even notice.
The deal sent catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Red Sox in exchange for minor-league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and some international bonus pool money.
At the time of the deal, Narvaez had totaled three hits in six big league games for the Yankees.
Now, Narvaez is making a surprise run at Rookie of the Year for Boston.
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The 26-year old is batting .289 this season with five home runs and an .822 OPS. Even more impressive for a young catcher, Narvaez is also an exceptional defender.
That’s a package that has been especially important in Boston after the early-season struggles of Connor Wong behind the dish.
The Yankees are in a good spot at catcher with Austin Wells, so it’s not so much a direct loss for New York as it is a loss by proxy by allowing their rival to have found a way to such a promising talent.
New York and Boston actually haven’t faced yet this MLB season, so there’s plenty of time for Narvaez to match up with his former club, both now and in the seasons to come.
Regardless of opponent, though, the Red Sox simply have to be thrilled. They found an unexpectedly strong catcher solution, and they took him out pinstripes and behind the plate at Fenway Park.
It’s not clear exactly how long Narvaez can keep this up, but why bet against him? It’s more fun to just be amazed by the way he continues to exceed everyone’s expectations.
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