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.