Why Curtis Mead could be Red Sox' X-factor in 2027

LAS VEGAS — In search of an impact bat ahead of last summer’s trade deadline, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow turned to an old friend. Working with former lieutenant Paul Toboni, in his first year running the Nationals, Breslow swung a one-for-one deal a week before the deadline, acquiring breakout star Curtis Mead for lefty Connelly Early.

Mead, who hit .254 with 17 homers, 17 doubles and an .851 OPS in 87 games for the Nationals, was expected to be Boston’s everyday second baseman and a middle-of-the-order bat down the stretch. Instead, he was hit by a pitch in his second plate appearance with the club on July 27, suffered a fractured wrist and never played again before the…