Washington Nationals trade Jake Bennett to the Red Sox for Luis Perales

In what should not come as much of a surprise, Paul Toboni made a trade with his old club, the Boston Red Sox. The trade itself is a bit surprising and a bit random. It is a prospect for prospect swap, with the Nationals trading Jake Bennett to the Red Sox for Luis Perales.

Both Bennett and Perales are pitching prospects who have had Tommy John Surgery within the last couple years. Perales is ranked as the number 7 prospect in a deep Red Sox system, while Bennett is the 11th ranked prospect in a weaker Nats system. Based on the rankings, this is a win for the Nats.

Based on pure stuff, it is also a win. Perales has some of the loudest stuff in all of the minor leagues. His fastball sits in the upper 90’s and routinely hits triple digits. It is one of the best fastballs in the minor leagues. Perales also has a slider, cutter and changeup that all pop on stuff models. In terms of raw stuff, not many pitchers can match Luis Perales.

However, there is some volatility here. He had Tommy John Surgery in June of 2024. Perales came back late this season and pitched in the Arizona Fall League. The stuff was as loud as ever, but he had some trouble with control. That command is often the last thing to come back after TJ, so that is not a red flag yet.

Even before the surgery, Perales had some walk issues, but they were getting better in 2024 before he blew out. Before that surgery, Perales was trending towards being one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He had a 2.94 ERA in 33.2 innings with 56 strikeouts to 12 walks. Toboni also knows this player very well due to his time in Boston.

Both Perales and Jake Bennett have pitched at AA, but at 22 years old, Perales is three years younger than Bennett. One reason why the Red Sox may have traded Perales though is that he is already on the 40 man roster even though he is not big league ready yet.

This is a classic floor for ceiling swap. Bennett is a high floor prospect who can contribute at the MLB level very soon. He may not be more than a number 4 starter, but he has a good chance of reaching that ceiling.

Perales is much more of a mystery box. If everything clicks, he could be a dynamic arm, potentially at the top of a rotation. He also has the stuff to be a weapon out of the bullpen. However, he still needs to prove he can stay healthy and produce following his Tommy John Surgery.

For the Nats, this is a good gamble to take. The Nats need high upside arms and Perales gives them just that. I am very excited about this trade and I wonder what else Paul Toboni has up his sleeve.