Boston Red Sox get: RHP Quinn Priester
Pittsburgh Pirates get: 2B/LF Nick Yorke
Chad Jennings: The numbers to look at here are not necessarily Priester’s 6.46 ERA in the majors or Yorke’s .898 OPS in Triple-A. More relevant might be the fact Priester was the 18th overall draft pick in 2019 and Yorke went 17th in 2020. Neither has had a perfectly smooth ride since draft day — Yorke was way up, then fell flat, then rebuilt value; Priester was a top 100 prospect but hasn’t found consistent results in the big leagues — but they’re both still relatively young with upside.
For the pitching-heavy Pirates, there’s more need for a bat-first second baseman who’s also spent time in the outfield. For the Red Sox, whose system is suddenly deep up the middle, there’s a greater need for an upper-level arm who still has the upside of a rotation mainstay.
We’re used to trade deadline deals that immediately impact at least one side of the deal, but this might be a swap that’s more about the future of two organizations that aren’t necessarily in sell mode but also have a firm eye on next year and beyond. Priester has made 14 major league starts the past two seasons, but Yorke isn’t even Rule 5 eligible until this offseason. The ultimate grade here is going to depend on what happens over the next five years or so, but in the moment, if either team sold low, it seems to be the Pirates, while the Red Sox moved Yorke when his value had climbed in recent weeks.
Red Sox: B+
Pirates: B-
Sam Blum: This is effectively a trading of prospects, it’s just that one of them is in the majors already. Both are former first-rounders, but Priester, 23, still won’t hit arbitration for several years. He has improved significantly since his debut season in 2023, and has limited his walks quite a bit in 2024. He primarily features a sinker and slider, combination, while mixing in a fastball, changeup and curveball more sporadically.
Yorke had a .898 OPS in Triple A this season. And while he’s not projected to become a superstar, he has some pop, speed, and defensive skills at second base to make him a pretty good big-league player.
Yorke has mostly played as a second baseman, but has added left field to his resume in recent months. (Tracy Proffitt / Four Seam Images via AP)
Both the Pirates and the Red Sox are trying to make the playoffs in 2024. That said, not every trade is designed to significantly further that goal. Trades can be made with the long-term in mind, and it seems like that was the impetus for this trade.
It’s also possible that both players will be on the big league roster, which means that this deal is not devoid of short-term implications. It just seems unlikely that it was the motivating factor.
Red Sox fans will surely be upset by this deal. Supporters follow first-round picks, and were likely excited by his Triple-A production. They’ll get Priester, a player they’ve likely never heard of, who has a 5.04 ERA for the Pirates. On the surface, it’s a better deal for Pittsburgh. But it’s not as lopsided as it appears.
Red Sox: B-
Pirates: A-
Stephen J. Nesbitt: Two snap reactions.
1. This trade addresses each side’s long-term needs
2. The numbers are somewhat deceptive.
If you’d have asked Pirates execs two years ago who’d be in their rotation when they returned to contender status, they’d have started with Mitch Keller and Quinn Priester. Priester was a top-100 prospect whose progression seemed to stall in the upper level of the minors. He’s a throwback starter, a sinkerballer who misses barrels and gets ground balls. Counterpoint: Priester has served up 19 homers in 94 2/3 innings in the majors. That speaks to the fact his stuff — a five-pitch mix led by a mediocre fastball, a slider and a curve — isn’t so good that hitters miss his mistakes. The Red Sox are betting there’s more in Priester’s right arm. He’s still only 23, and he had a respectable 4.43 ERA before getting blasted in relief by the Diamondbacks on Saturday. The Red Sox opened this season with no pitchers among their top 10 prospects, as ranked by The Athletic’s Keith Law. Bringing a ground-ball guy to Fenway Park tracks, and if the Red Sox can amp Priester’s secondary pitches they could unlock some swing-and-miss. I could absolutely still see Priester settling in as a mid-rotation to back-end starter.
The Pirates, meanwhile, need position-player prospects more than they need more starting depth. Yorke started this season as the Red Sox’s No. 9 prospect, per Law. He’s an excellent addition to the Pirates farm system, but there’s more to know than just his .898 OPS in a recent 38-game sample at Triple-A. Yorke, who was an under-slot signing at No. 17 overall in 2020, has been super streaky across his minor league career. That’s OK! But keep in mind that the .898 OPS was preceded by a .691 OPS at Double-A earlier this season. Law wrote this spring: “I think (Yorke) is a soft regular, probably not an everyday player for a contender, while he doesn’t offer utility infielder value since he can’t play on the left side.” So, despite approving of this trade for both sides, I don’t think it’s a slam dunk in favor of the Pirates. The Buccos are inclined to add hitters with multiple years of club control remaining. Yorke fits the bill. He has some speed, some pop and experience at second base and left field. The Buccos need bats ASAP. This one will help … eventually.
This is a good baseball trade.
Pirates: B+
Red Sox: B+
(Top photo of Priester: John Fisher / Getty Images)
