I honestly think the Red Sox got the worst of the deal. Rutschman is on the IL with no timetable with his injury, according to the very GM who dealt him, and had a very poor year last year. The Orioles are stupid for not supplementing their young talent with savvy trades, but they
did get Boston's top two pitching prospects (including a guy who immediately slides into their #1 prospect ranking), a good nineteen-year-old outfielder already in High-A (and excelling there), an offensive-minded catcher whom they could flip at the Winter Meetings.
In addition, Boston's paying for one-and-a-half (and maybe less, depending on circumstances) seasons of Rutschman; he becomes a free agent after the 2027 season. And with a potential lockout possibly destroying the season, his free agency timer might not be set back to 2028; I don't think that happened with the 1994 lockout, even though it might not be the best comparison.
So they may only have a half of a season with Rutschman, and he's injured and has no timetable for his return, according to the GM who traded him, who could've used physicals to prove he's ready to come back.
It's a shitty trade for the Red Sox and combined with completely giving up on Marcelo Mayer and not getting anything good back for him - and adding that I still think that the two Sox/Cardinals trades are a potential win for the Cardinals, should the younger players pan out - I actually feel bad for Sox fans like
@Boston Ram .