The Boston Red Sox made several notable moves before the trade deadline, but their most contentious trade might yield significant rewards, according to one insider.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s decision to trade top prospect Nick Yorke to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitching prospect Quinn Priester initially puzzled many. Yorke appears close to breaking into the Majors, while Priester still has considerable development ahead.
Despite the skepticism, Priester’s potential is recognized by some baseball experts. On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough praised the trade, calling Priester a “key acquisition” for Boston.
McCullough commented, “Breslow’s most compelling deadline move involved trading former first-round picks. He sent Nick Yorke, one of Boston’s top prospects, to Pittsburgh in exchange for Priester, the No. 18 pick in the 2019 draft. The Red Sox assigned Priester to Triple-A Worcester to focus on improving his fastball velocity and increasing his changeup usage.”
“If the Red Sox’s development team can refine Priester’s skill set, he could become a significant asset to the big-league team for years to come.”
Currently, the Red Sox are in a crucial three-game series against the Kansas City Royals, which could impact their position in the AL Wild Card race. On Monday, the Red Sox secured a 9-5 victory, narrowing their wild card deficit to 1.5 games. Additionally, manager Alex Cora achieved a significant milestone with this win, reaching 500 career victories.
According to Boston Sports Gordo on X, Cora’s latest triumph over the Royals marks his 500th career win, making him only the fourth manager in Red Sox history to reach this milestone and the second in the past 50 years, joining Terry Francona in this achievement.
