Nationals Snag Red Sox's Dean

0:00It's April 1st, MLB News. Today starts now, AI-powered and game-ready. I'm Cory with the story. The Boston Red Sox cut Noah Dean back on March 19th, their 2022 5th round draft pick out of Old Dominion University. This 25-year-old lefty had spent three seasons in their farm system with a 535 ERA, but he flashed serious potential by striking, out 284 batters. This weeks later, the Washington National scooped him up on a minor league deal. Paul Taboni, now the nationals president of baseball operations, knows Dean better than most. He spent 11 years with the Red Sox, including as director of amateur scouting when they picked Dean, and even rose to assistant general manager, before jumping to Washington in October. Dean's time in Boston showed real promise mixed with struggles. He walked 175 guys over 208 and two-thirds innings, wrecking up those strikeouts despite command issues. The Sox farm system turned into a pitching powerhouse lately, while the nationals were

1:02way behind when Taboni arrived. Taboni moved fast on Dean, and it fits his plans to rebuild their pitching depth. Just last month, he traded for another former Red Sox prospect, heart-thoring, righty Luis Peralty's, sending lefty Jake Bennett the other way. Dean made sense for Boston to clear space for rising arms, but the nationals grabbing him so quick signals they see untapped upside in that. Strike out stuff. Keep an eye on how he fits into their rebuild.