Red Sox make draft selection as full details of surprise Brewers trade finalized

The Boston Red Sox on April 7 traded pitcher Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez and a Competitive Balance round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Boston completed the trade with its selection on July 13.

The Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips with the No. 33 pick. He's the second pitcher Boston snagged early in the 2025 draft — it selected Kyson Witherspoon with its first-round pick, the first pitcher it's taken in the first round since Tanner Houck in the 2017 draft. Sixteen of Craig Breslow's 22 draft picks as the Red Sox's chief baseball officer have been pitchers (per Christopher Smith of MassLive), one of the greatest indicators of the former reliever's emphasis on revitalizing Boston's pitching program.

Phillips, who turns 21 at the end of July, landed at No. 61 on MLB Pipeline's draft prospect rankings. His fastball sits between 96-98 miles per hour, and tops out at 100. His velocity, coupled with his unique, low release point, helps him deceive hitters and rack up strikeouts. He also boasts a slider and a changeup in his arsenal, and the latter pitch is deadly.

Phillips pitched two seasons at the University of Tennessee and posted a 4.11 ERA over 103 innings between 2024-25. He became the Vols' clear No. 2 starter this past season, with a 3.90 ERA and 98 strikeouts and 34 walks over 83 innings.

Red Sox draft right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips with Competitive Balance round pick from Brewers in 2025 MLB Draft

The Red Sox acquired Priester, a former first-round pick, via trade with the Pirates before the 2024 trade deadline. Boston shipped middle infield prospect Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh in exchange for pitching, since Yorke didn't have a clear path to the roster. Priester appeared just once for the Red Sox in the big leagues and allowed one run on five hits with two strikeouts over five innings.

Boston traded Priester to the Brewers when Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins arose as more reliable depth pitching options — or so it thought. Priester has logged a 3.59 ERA over 82.2 innings in Milwaukee's rotation. There's still room for the 24-year-old to improve, though, as he ranks in the 26th percentile in strikeout percentage with 65 strikeouts and just under league average with 30 walks.

Priester's emergence, Dobbins' recent injury and uncertainty around draft picks leave the winner of this trade up in the air, for now. But if Breslow's recent success with drafting young pitchers continues (Payton Tolle, Brandon Clarke, etc.), Boston could emerge as the winner in due time.

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