Red Sox cash in top prospect trade chip for young Pirates starting pitcher

When the Boston Red Sox traded for James Paxton on July 26, many fans and experts believed he was the only help the rotation would get.

But the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates made an exchange on July 29 that will bring a young, controllable starter to Boston.

The Red Sox have traded No. 6 prospect Nick Yorke to the Pirates in exchange for Quinn Priester, a righty starter and 2019 first-round pick.

Priester has pitched to a 5.04 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in 44.2 innings this year. He's a 6.46 ERA pitcher across both his seasons in the big leagues, but at just 23 years old, there's plenty of time for the Red Sox organization to help Priester fine-tune his arsenal.

Red Sox trade No. 6 prospect Nick Yorke to Pirates in exchange for young righty starter Quinn Priester

Priester is on a pre-arbitration deal until the 2026 season and is under team control until 2030. He'll be able to help the Sox next year, as it's unlikely they extend or re-sign Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock will be on the shelf well into the season as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Yorke flashed serious progress in Boston's farm system this season. He began the campaign with Double-A Portland and earned a promotion in early June after he batted .251/.325/.366 across 45 games. He only improved after his move up to Worcester, where he slashed .310/.408/.490 with a .898 OPS over 38 games.

The 22-year-old second baseman built his trade value nicely this season, and the Red Sox had to take advantage. Boston's 2023-24 offseason trade for Vaughn Grissom essentially eliminated any future Yorke may have had with the big-league club — a young, controllable starter with an arsenal of pitches well suited to Andrew Bailey's methods is a solid return for such a player.

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