How the Red Sox Plan to Use Curtis Mead in 2027

The Red Sox's trade deadline pickup only saw two plate appearances before getting hurt.

by Ezra Lombardi

Oct 6, 2026

Washington Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead (45) acknowledges the dugout after hitting a two RBI double during the third inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.

Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox were one of the first teams to get aggressive at the trade deadline, acquiring power bat Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals for young left-hander Connelly Early.

The move, which filled needs for both sides on paper, provided next to zero results for either club. Early, who was still recovering from an elbow injury that sidelined him in June, returned for just one game in Washington, pitching three scoreless innings on September 26.

Strangely, Mead also appeared in just one game for his new team. The 25-year-old was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken wrist during his second plate appearance for the Red Sox on July 27. While he healed up enough to replace Roman Anthony on the postseason roster, he never got an at-bat in Boston’s season-ending loss to New York.

Turning the page to next season, the club’s new full-time manager Chad Tracy and recently extended chief baseball officer Craig Breslow were asked about how Mead fits into the roster going forward during Monday’s end-of-year presser.

Tracy, while refusing to “anoint” Mead as next year’s starting second baseman, said that slotting him in at second base is “broadly our plan.”

“He was acquired for a reason, that one hurt when that [injury] happened,” Tracy said. “Pending a healthy offseason where everything progresses well, I would say I wouldn’t be speaking out of turn to say we’d be excited to see what that looks like in our lineup.”

Before the injury, Mead was up to 17 home runs in Washington with a .852 OPS in 87 games. A former top prospect, Mead’s 2026 offensive explosion was unlike anything he had done in his prior three seasons where he bounced around from the Rays to the White Sox before being designated for assignment in March and traded to the Nationals.

The Red Sox, desperately in need of power and an ability to handle velocity, particularly on the infield and from the right side of the plate, are betting on this season being a true breakout rather than an anomaly. If the bat is as advertised, the more pressing question will be where he fits defensively.

Mead has been a below-average defender playing mostly third and first base with some time at second. With Boston’s infield defense being a strength in 2026, Mead’s ability to hold up there will be an important factor in his long-term placement on the team. But on a team without a set DH, the club will be able to find at-bats for him even if the glove is not serviceable.

If this is the case and Mead can’t become the everyday second baseman, Nick Sogard made an excellent case to man the position and Anthony Seigler and Andruw Monasterio remain solid options.