The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a trade on Monday, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Boston is acquiring right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester in exchange for infield prospect Nick Yorke.
Priester, 23, has recorded lackluster MLB results across 20 total big league outings (14 starts). He was once regarded as a top prospect, though. Priester's potential makes him an especially interesting pitcher.
The Red Sox could use added pitching depth so their reasoning for making this deal is quite understandable. It is surprising to see Pittsburgh move on from Priester.
Yorke, though, was the Red Sox's No. 6 overall prospect heading into the 2024 campaign, per MLB.com. The 22-year-old features quality offensive prowess. He has an opportunity to become a balanced big league hitter, as he can hit for average and power. Yorke's primary strengths stem from his offensive ability.
Pittsburgh is surely hopeful that Yorke can take a step forward and impact the team in 2025.
Red Sox's pitching improves
Again, Priester has not found much success at the MLB level so far. Yet, this deal has an opportunity be one of the most impactful and underrated moves of the entire deadline. Priester could emerge as a reliable starting pitching option for Boston for years to come.
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Boston is currently focused on attempting to contend in the American League. The Red Sox hold a 55-49 record as of this story's writing. They are in third place in the AL East. Additionally, Boston is in a respectable position to compete for an AL Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox will likely make another trade or two before the deadline on Tuesday. They will benefit from both offensive and pitching upgrades. Boston needs more all-around depth, as competing in the talented American League will not be an easy task.
In the end, though, the Priester addition should not be overlooked.
