Red Sox and Athletics Swing First Trade of the MLB Offseason

The baseball offseason is officially open, and it took barely a day after the World Series for the first trade to land. The Boston Red Sox have dealt outfielder Nate Eaton to the Athletics, receiving 18-year-old Nicaraguan right-hander Jareth Rayo in return, in a move first reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Thursday. Eaton, 29, split the 2026 season between Boston and Triple-A Worcester, batting .160 with one home run and six RBIs in 24 games for the Red Sox. Out of minor league options, his roster flexibility was limited heading into the winter, and the deal clears a 40-man roster spot for Boston as the club sorts out its post-World Series housekeeping. The Athletics, meanwhile, see Eaton as useful depth for a young outfield built around Henry Bolte, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler. Rayo is very much a longer-term play. Signed by the Athletics in October 2025, he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this year, going 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA across 11 games and 36 innings, striking out 36 and walking 20. Most clubs prefer to wait until after the World Series before dealing, but Boston and Oakland moved quickly — and in doing so, they fired the starting gun on a winter that promises plenty more movement.