The Boston Red Sox bolstered their pitching prospects by trading for 6-foot-6 left-hander Jake Bennett from the Washington Nationals on December 15. In exchange, they sent right-hander Luis Perales to Washington. Bennett, now the Red Sox's No. 7 prospect, fits the team's preference for physically imposing pitchers.
Craig Breslow, Boston's chief baseball officer, targeted Bennett as the ideal addition to the Red Sox's pitching stable, known for favoring large, athletic arms that resemble linebackers. The 25-year-old Oklahoma product, a 2022 second-round draft pick, stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 234 pounds, aligning with the average size of pitchers drafted under Breslow: 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds.
Bennett underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 but rebounded strongly this summer, making 19 appearances (18 starts) across three minor league levels with a 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He further built innings in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 4.50 ERA over 20 innings, with his fastball averaging 93.8 mph and peaking at 95.5 mph. Given his size and recent surgery, Boston anticipates velocity gains in their development program, similar to what Payton Tolle experienced—rising from 91-96 mph in college to 95-99 mph in the minors after one season.
Bennett's release point adds to his appeal, averaging 7.02 feet of extension in the Fall League, ranking in the 93rd percentile among 2025 Major League pitchers. This mirrors Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, the 2025 NL Cy Young runner-up, who averages 7.0 feet at the same height. The Red Sox also recently acquired 6-foot-6 right-hander Johan Oviedo from the Pirates, who boasts 7.3 feet of extension.
Command sets Bennett apart from Perales, with a 6 percent walk rate compared to Perales' 18 percent. Breslow emphasized this post-trade: "We believe we are getting a Major League-caliber starting pitcher. The combination of whiff and strikes is unique, and we started to see the performance catch up in the AFL."
His arsenal features a 60-grade changeup that generated a 40.3 percent whiff rate in the Fall League, on par with top major league offerings. Bennett complements it with a four-seamer, slider, and sinker. His strikeout rate dipped to 21.5 percent this summer from 28.3 percent in 2023, but Boston expects a return to form as he regains strength. Likely headed to Triple-A Worcester in 2026, Bennett joins a system emphasizing changeups, as the WooSox threw the fifth-highest percentage (12.4 percent) last season.
The trade reunited Perales, Washington's No. 5 prospect, with president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, a former Red Sox assistant GM of 10 years. Earlier, prospect Tolle noted to the Boston Globe that Connelly Early was bulking up for the Red Sox's "mooses on the mound" in 2026—Bennett requires no such adjustment.
