There's still a long way to go, but the Rafael Devers trade isn't looking like the stroke of genius Craig Breslow thought it was. The Boston Red Sox did shed a ton of money and got rid of a clearly unhappy player, but the return they got for him was underwhelming, and their offense has been mostly putrid since the deal. The Red Sox have reason to regret the Devers trade already, but that isn't the only deal Breslow has made that looks bad in hindsight.
Quinn Priester continues to impress with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Quinn Priester's last 10 starts:
54.2 IP
2.32 ERA
1.01 WHIP
44 K | 12 BBCareer-high 7 innings and 11 strikeouts today. Brewers got an absolute STEAL!
Priester's season got off to a bit of a shaky beginning after getting traded to the Brewers shortly after Opening Day, but he's been mostly outstanding in Milwaukee, particularly lately. After throwing seven shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Priester now has a 2.32 ERA in his last 10 starts, and has a 3.68 ERA on the season.
Hindsight is 20/20, but with how he's pitched, particularly lately, the Red Sox have to regret making this deal.
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Red Sox have gone from winners to losers in Quinn Priester trade
When the Priester trade went down, the Red Sox looked like clear winners. Boston received a draft pick, an intriguing prospect, and a player to be named later for Priester, a pitcher Boston had recently optioned down to the minor leagues and hadn't proven much of anything at the MLB level. In hindsight, though, it's hard to call this deal a win.
The Brewers traded for Priester mostly to give themselves rotation depth at a time of need. Once they got healthier, there was reason to believe Priester would move to the bullpen or get sent down to Triple-A. Instead, even after they promoted top prospect Jacob Misiorowski to the majors, the Brewers traded Aaron Civale to ensure Priester would remain in the rotation.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have had rotation issues all season long. Garrett Crochet has been as advertised, but they haven't had a single other starter who has remained both healthy and productive all year. An argument can be made that Priester would be Boston's second-best starter this season, which is both an indictment of Boston's rotation and a compliment for how well he has pitched.
All Red Sox fans can hope now is that the Devers trade doesn't age as poorly as the Priester deal. Early returns, though, couldn't have gotten off to much of a worse start.