Mariners make trade with Red Sox swapping righty pitcher for catcher

Billy Heyen

Mariners make trade with Red Sox swapping righty pitcher for catcher image

The Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox made a trade on Tuesday with their 40-man roster space in mind.

The deal was reported by MassLive:

  • Mariners get: RHP Alex Hoppe
  • Red Sox get:  C Luke Heyman

Hoppe has been added to Seattle's 40-man roster, while Boston clears a spot on its 40 by getting the minor league catcher Heyman.

The addition of Hoppe to the 40 for Seattle protects him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

Hoppe is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher who is 26 years old. He was taken in the 2022 draft's sixth round out of UNC-Greensboro.

Hoppe split the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A. His combined ERA was 4.55. He had 73 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched.

MORE: Kyle Tucker trade isn't aging well for Cubs

Heyman was a 14th-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Florida. He's 22 years old.

The 6-foot-4 catcher didn't play at all in the Seattle system here in his draft year.

In 2025 for the Gators, Heyman batted.301 with 13 home runs. He hit a combined 41 home runs in his three seasons at Florida, and he also played two summers in the Cape Cod League.

The Mariners will hope Hoppe can add depth to their pitching staff, while Heyman gives the Red Sox a long-term development possibility.

More MLB news:

Contributing Writer