Article: Red Sox Trade Quinn Priester to Brewers for Yophery Rodriguez and More

[Davy Andrews]

Just weeks after Priester looked like he was in line to break camp as part of Boston's starting rotation, he's headed to a pitching-hungry Brewers team in exchange for an exciting, young prospect, a draft pick, and more.

Quinn Priester is on the move again. The Red Sox traded Nick Yorke to the Pirates for the right-handed starter on July 29. Just eight months later, Hunter Noll reports that Priester is headed to the Brewers in exchange for outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick, a player to be named later, and cash. The Competitive Balance pick will be the 33rd pick in the 2025 draft.

Priester has had high expectations for years now, but he has a career 6.23 ERA over 21 career appearances, and he ran a 5.40 ERA in Triple-A Worcester after the trade (though his 3.75 FIP was much more promising). He was in consideration to make the starting rotation deep into camp, but instead started the season in Worcester. In his one start there, he allowed two earned runs over four innings while striking out six batters.

The Red Sox can afford to make this move because they have packed their 40-man roster with pitching depth, and the move clearly indicates that the team has faith in less certain options like Richard Fitts, Sean Newcomb, and Hunter Dobbins. On the other hand, one could argue that the Brewers can’t afford not to make the move. With multiple injuries derailing their rotation, the Brewers are desperate for starting pitching, and it appears that the Red Sox are getting a premium for an arm that has flashed potential but hasn’t lived up to it just yet.

Priester may well turn out to be the great pitcher so many have predicted, and Milwaukee could end up being the perfect place for him. He is still just 24 years old, and the Brewers are renowned for their pitching development, running a 3.71 ERA since 2021, fifth-best in baseball over that period. Still, it’s not encouraging that the Red Sox decided to give up on Priester, who at this point may be best described as a project despite his pedigree.

As for the return, the Dominican Rodriguez is just 19 years old, and the Brewers have been very aggressive in promoting him. He was the team’s biggest international signing in 2023, going for $1.5 million. He ran a 125 wRC+ as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2023, then ran a 117 wRC+ over 110 games in Low-A in 2024. He’s now in High-A as a 19-year-old, more than three years below the average player at that level. MLB Pipeline had Rodriguez ranked eighth in the Milwaukee system, with a 50 overall grade, and 50 or better in each of the five tool categories. In other words, Rodriguez is very promising, and the Brewers are trading from a position of strength. Young outfielders like Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick, and Luis Lara, mean that the team is not hurting for young outfielders.

At FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen put a 40+ grade on Rodriguez last July, noting his combination of plate discipline and power. Although Longenhagen did indicate that Rodriguez could stick in center, he did note that he “isn’t as rangy and projectable as most high-upside teenage hitters, and he’s a little stiff as an athlete.”

All of this is to say despite Rodriguez’s youth, the Red Sox aren’t just getting a lottery ticket here. They’re getting a genuine prospect who’s likely to slot into the organization’s top 20 or even top 10, along with a draft pick and the PTBNL and money. It’s a long season, and it's entirely possible that injuries will bedevil the Boston rotation to the point where they regret letting go of Priester. All the same, it certainly looks like they got the most they possibly could for him.

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[Brock Beauchamp]

Get up to speed on Yophery Rodriguez here:

https://brewerfanatic.com/milwaukee-brewers-top-prospect-rankings/yophery-rodriguez-r46/