Boston acquires C Narvaez from Yankees

DALLAS (AP) — The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees on Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool money.

Boston made the rare deal with its AL East rival after earlier in the day during the winter meetings sending top catching prospect Kyle Teel to the White Sox. Teel was one of four prospects the Red Sox traded to Chicago for All-Star left-handed pitcher Garret Crochet.

Narváez made his big league debut with the Yankees by hitting .231 in six games this year. The 26-year-old Venezuelan, originally signed by the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2015, hit .254 with 11 homers and 58 RBIs in 96 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He started 58 games at catcher, 23 as the designated hitter and 12 at first base.

Red Sox second baseman Enmanuel Valdez, their opening day starter last season, was designated for assignment to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

Rodriguez-Cruz, 21, combined to go 5-5 with a 2.91 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings in 21 games (20 starts) this year with two teams, the highest being Class-A Salem. In 48 games (44 starts) over three minor league seasons in the Red Sox organization, the native of Puerto Rico was 11-11 with a 2.60 ERA.

Boston selected Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb