Red Sox, Mariners make depth trade at non-tender deadline
The Red Sox and Mariners exchanged depth pieces in the minutes before Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline on Friday evening.
Just before the 8 p.m. cutoff, Boston sent Luis Urías to Seattle for right-handed reliever Isaiah Campbell. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe broke the news.
The Red Sox acquired Urías at the 2023 trade deadline, having spent three and a half seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He only played 32 games for the Red Sox, his first American League team, but hit significantly better upon his arrival, raising his batting average from .145 to .225 and his OPS .535 to .698.
Boston primarily deployed Urías at second base (28 games), but he also offers the Mariners depth at third and shortstop, a position he didn’t play in Boston, and two years of club control. He’s arbitration-eligible this year and next, currently on track to reach free agency in 2026.
Campbell, meanwhile, can bolster a Boston bullpen that was dominant for much of 2023 but became exhausted down the stretch (in large part due to a depleted starting rotation that routinely failed to complete five innings). The 26-year-old debuted on July 7 and made 27 appearances for Seattle. He posted a 2.83 ERA, 1.221 WHIP, and struck out 33 batters over 28 ⅔ innings, finished nine games, and converted his first career save. He only allowed nine runs (all earned) and two home runs; opposing batters hit .210 against him with a .614 OPS.
When Campbell takes the mound for the Red Sox for the first time, he’ll take a unique place in franchise history. He’s the first modern Major Leaguer born in Portugal – following Frank Thompson of the National Association in 1875 – and will, therefore, be the first to play for the Red Sox.