Mariners did departing prospect a real favor trading him to Red Sox

As part of their mad dash to set their 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the Seattle Mariners made a trade with the Boston Red Sox that brought back Alex Hoppe. He's a right-handed relief prospect whose fastball goes as high as 101 mph, and thus a piece of clay who might be molded into a work of high-leverage art.

What came into focus after the trade is that there was also a human interest element to it. Because going to Boston in the deal is Luke Heyman, a 2025 draft pick who grew up rooting for the Red Sox.

Tyler Milliken, who wears multiple hats in working with 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Section 10 Podcast, was on the case on X on Tuesday. He even dug up a picture of Heyman with Red Sox star Roman Anthony at Coors Field in 2021, when they shared the field as players in the High School All-American Game.

Mariners do Luke Heyman a favor by trading him to the Red Sox

Beyond being a cool story, it's hard to see the move to the Red Sox as anything but a better opportunity for Heyman.

He didn't arrive in Seattle's farm system to much fanfare, as they waited until the 422nd overall pick in the 14th round to take him off the board. And after his season with the Florida Gators ended in May due to a fractured forearm, he didn't take the field again upon joining the Mariners organization. He'll make his pro debut when he suits up again in 2026.

The threat of Heyman becoming buried in the Mariners' depth chart was very real. Cal Raleigh is the best in the business at the major league level, and he's set to be flanked by top prospect Harry Ford next season. The Mariners otherwise have Luke Stevenson and Josh Caron among their top 30 prospects for MLB Pipeline.

This is not to imply that the 22-year-old Heyman is chopped liver. Baseball America rated him as the No. 127 prospect in this year's draft class, remarking that the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder "offers plus raw power and improving swing decisions." He can also handle velocity, a crucial skill these days.

Heyman is now in a Boston system that only has two catchers in its top 30 for MLB Pipeline, and they're at the very bottom at No. 28 and No. 30, respectively. Between that and how well his right-handed power profiles at Fenway Park, the chance of him one day becoming an impact player on the team he used to root for is very real.

Though it feels like we hardly got to know him, we'd like to wish Heyman good luck with what must already feel like a dream that's coming true.