It’s safe to say that Wednesday has not been the best day of the offseason for the Boston Red Sox. After being linked heavily to star first baseman Pete Alonso in free agency, the Sox watched him sign with their division rival, the Baltimore Orioles, on a five-year, $155 million contract. Now, the front office is going to have to pivot and find another star slugger to help fill in their lineup.
The 2025 Rule 5 Draft also took place on Wednesday, and as if things weren’t already bad enough for the Red Sox, they were dealt another blow shortly after Alonso signed with the O’s. That’s because Boston watched one of its pitching prospects, Jedixson Paez, get scooped up by the Chicago White Sox during the draft.
Red Sox Lose Jedixson Paez to the White Sox
Part of the reason why there’s been so much excitement surrounding the Red Sox this offseason is because of all the young talent the team has at its disposal. Guys like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer appear set to make major contributions at the major league level moving forward, and there are several other guys who are knocking on the door in the minors.
Not all those guys are going to stick around, as we have seen the front office already use players from their farm system to swing trades for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. Ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, though, Boston couldn’t get all of these players on its 40-man roster, which left some of its more major-league-ready prospects vulnerable to being stolen.
That is what happened with Paez, who was the team’s No. 19 overall prospect according to MLB.com. A 21-year-old right-handed pitcher, Paez pitched only 19.1 innings at High-A in 2025, but his upside is hard to ignore, which led to the struggling White Sox deciding it was worth taking a flier on him to see if he could develop on the fly in the majors.
“Sox lose RHP Jedixson Paez to the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft,” Ian Cundall of Sox Prospects shared in a post on X. “Limited to 19.1 innings this year by a calf strain. Advanced command/control profile. Stuff needs to take a step forward. Low-90s FB, cutter, changeup, slider & curveball.”
Red Sox Make Minor Rule 5 Draft Trade
Getty ImagesRed Sox Chief of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow
In the meantime, the Red Sox made another move to bring a new face to town after losing Paez and striking out on Alonso. After the Athletics selected relief pitcher Ryan Watson in the Rule 5 Draft, they ended him trading him to the Sox, with infield prospect Justin Riemer heading the other way.
Given how high expectations are for Boston this offseason, though, that small move likely isn’t going to appease many fans. With several big names finding new homes over the past few days, the Red Sox are going to have to begin moving with some urgency in order to ensure that they don’t get left in the dust by the time the offseason wraps up.
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