The White Sox had a relatively quiet trade deadline in 2025, with the team’s only major move sending RHP Adrian Houser to the Rays. In the deal, the White Sox landed RHPs Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples, but the main prize of the trade was a chance to fix former top prospect Curtis Mead. With ample playing time available, the White Sox hoped they’d be able to unlock Curtis Mead’s potential, but it was not to be. Just one year later, Mead is having a breakout season for the Washington Nationals, and it’s easy for White Sox fans to feel like it was a missed opportunity. But the White Sox landed an interesting prospect in exchange for Mead, and his dominant performance this season should bring comfort to fans bothered by the trade.
Curtis Mead spent 2026 spring training with the White Sox and was dealt to the Washington Nationals after being designated for assignment and not making the Opening Day roster. In exchange, the White Sox received catcher Boston Smith, the Nationals sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft. In the days since the trade, Mead has posted an .861 OPS and 17 home runs in 83 games for Washington. He’s driving the ball with authority after failing to hit a home run in 41 games with the White Sox last season. It wasn’t necessarily a matter of giving up on Mead that led to the White Sox decision to trade him, but simply a lack of opportunity on an improved roster.
Boston Smith has done nothing but hit since joining the White Sox
Enter Boston Smith, a 23-year-old catcher who played his college ball at Wright State. The Nationals made Smith their sixth-round selection after he tied for the Division I lead in home runs during the 2025 season with 26. As a senior with a relatively small track record, Smith fell to the sixth round, and he didn’t play for a Nationals affiliate prior to the trade. Smith made his professional debut with Low-A Kannapolis this year, playing just eight games before a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem. He adjusted well to pro ball, slashing .288/.449/.595 with 14 home runs in 48 games before a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. So far in 12 games, Smith has stepped up his game even further in Double-A, with six home runs and a 1.382 OPS in 36 at bats. His overall numbers in 68 games? .297/.450/.607 with 20 home runs and a 1.382 OPS.
HOME RUN from Boston Smith!! 🌶️@AtriumHealthWFB pic.twitter.com/axWTi0HRoK
— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) June 20, 2026
Smith has yet to show up on any Top 30 organizational prospects lists, likely due to his age, but should he continue to hit the ball well at the upper levels of the minor leagues, it’ll be difficult to keep him off. Minor league statistics don’t always matter when it comes to big league potential, but Smith has so far not reached a level that he’s unable to handle. Another left-handed hitting catcher may not be exactly what the White Sox need, but Smith has played 11 games in left field this season, so he’s shown some versatility, and if his bat remains strong, the team can find a way to get him in the lineup.
As painful as it is to watch Curtis Mead’s breakout and wonder what could’ve been, White Sox fans can be comforted knowing they didn’t move Mead for nothing. Boston Smith is quickly emerging as one of the best offensive players in the White Sox minor league system, and it’s soon going to be hard to keep him from getting a chance in Chicago.
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