The Boston Red Sox traded top infield prospect Nick Yorke to the Pittsburgh Pirates for former first-round pick Quinn Priester at last season's trade deadline.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was praised for the exchange — Yorke didn't have a clear path to the big leagues in Boston with other players and top prospects blocking his way and the Sox's pitching development program left much to be desired. Breslow partially solved a logjam and brought in young pitching depth in one fell swoop.
But Priester's tenure in Boston was short-lived. He was named as a potential candidate to join the major league starting rotation while Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito rehab injuries, but Richard Fitts, Sean Newcomb and Hunter Dobbins surpassed him in the race. On April 7, Breslow traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers for a monster return — top outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A pick and a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The Brewers' rotation has been rocked in the early goings of the 2025 season, to the tune of a 5.18 ERA over 10 games. Injuries have also decimated their staff. Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby, Brandon Woodruff, DL Hall and Robert Gasser are all on the IL for varying lengths. Boston had pitching to spare, Milwaukee was desperate and Breslow acted accordingly.
Craig Breslow fleeced Brewers, acquired Red Sox's fourth top-100 draft pick for Quinn Priester
Per source:
— Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) April 7, 2025
Boston Red Sox trade Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league OF Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick, a player to be named later, and cash considerations.
The Red Sox traded 2024 first-round pick Braden Montgomery to the White Sox in exchange for Garrett Crochet over the winter, and they made up for their loss by trading for another young, athletic outfielder. Rodriguez was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Brewers' organization, per MLB Pipeline, and scouts cite solid plate discipline and defense as his biggest strengths.
Boston also acquired the 33rd overall pick in the upcoming draft, which gives the team four picks in the top 100. The Red Sox have used their compensatory picks quite well in the past, as both Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell were drafted in the compensatory round.
Since he took over as Red Sox CBO, Breslow has mostly focused on improving the team's pitching depth. In less than two full seasons, the Sox went from almost no capable pitching depth to having a surplus they could trade to set up for the future. Considering Breslow only traded an infield prospect with no path to the big leagues in Boston for Priester, his latest move is a major upgrade for the Sox.