Quinn Priester Among Red Sox Acquisitions Before Trade Deadline 

With hopes of returning to the postseason for the first time since 2021, the Boston Red Sox made a flurry of deals ahead of the July 30 MLB Trade Deadline.

In their first trade season deal on July 26, Boston acquired southpaw James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers for 17-year-old shortstop Moises Bolivar. The following day, the Sox traded intra-division, picking up catcher Danny Jansen in exchange for three minor leaguers.

In the final 48 hours before the Trade Deadline, the Red Sox agreed to three more trades––two of which involved members of the Worcester Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates on July 29 swapped former first round picks, with the Sox acquiring right-hander Quinn Priester for infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke. It was a deal between teams trading from depth––Boston has an influx of young infielders in the pipeline while the Pirates are built on their young pitching core. After announcing the acquisition of Priester, the Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.

Selected by the Pirates as the 18th pick in the 2019 MLB Draft from Cary-Grove High School in Illinois, Priester is an athletic 6’3”, 210-pound righty and possesses a five-pitch mix, led by a mid-90s sinker. He made his MLB debut on July 17, 2023, but has yet to find consistent success at the big league level.

“I’m definitely a mix guy. I have a lot of pitches that are really good, and the more I can mix...the better I am,” Priester said regarding his pitching style. “Four-seam, sinker, slider, curveball, and changeup right now and I have the ability to do some other things if we need it.”

Over 20 career appearances (14 starts), Priester has a rather lofty 6.46 ERA in 94.2 innings with opponents batting .286 against him. Across five minor league seasons, the 23-year-old has charted a far better 3.41 ERA while averaging 9.3 K/9 compared to 6.4 K/9 in the big leagues.

Though Priester has not been able to replicate his minor league success, the Red Sox view the right-hander as a project who could be a viable Major League starter with more development. At just 23 years old, Priester is not a finished product, and there is plenty to like about his makeup that could interest the Sox development staff.

For example, Priester throws his changeup just 11.5% of the time––the least of his five pitches––but it has statistically been his most effective. Despite being a bit erratic with the pitch, opponents are batting .120 (3-for-25) against it and consistently pound it into the ground. Like his changeup, Priester’s sinker is an excellent ground ball producer but has been hit hard when not properly located.

An interesting note regarding the righty’s arsenal, his best pitch last season was his curveball, but opponents are batting .400 (6-for-15) against the pitch this year. Despite the lack of outs it has produced, the pitch has generated the most swing-and-misses, with hitters whiffing 45.5% of the time. Part of Priester’s road back to the Show could be rediscovering the breaking ball that made him a highly regarded prospect out of high school.

The Illinois native added that the change-up and curveball are his favorites to throw––especially when he can feel it out of the hand.

“I’ve heard things about him that say he’s not afraid to lean into development, wants to get better, and wants to improve which is all good things for us to hear,” WooSox Manager Chad Tracy said before Tuesday night’s game against Buffalo. “That’s what we’re doing around here––we’re trying to find the little ways we can optimize guys and make them a little better.”

With Boston’s recent success developing Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello, the Sox believe there is a plausible direction for Priester to become a contributing member of their big league rotation.

The other half of the one-for-one swap was Yorke. Drafted in the first round out of the Archbishop Mitty High School in California, Yorke is predominantly a second baseman but has added defensive versatility in 2024. Since his promotion to Worcester on June 5, Yorke has been a cog in the middle of the WooSox order, hitting .310/.408/.490 with 45 hits and 32 runs scored in 38 games.

Following their trade with the Pirates, the Red Sox made two more deals on Deadline Day. The team sent 19-year-old right-hander Ovis Portes to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Lucas Sims, who has a 3.57 ERA in 41 appearances this year. In addition to Sims, the club rounded out the bullpen in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, acquiring Luis Garcia for four minor leaguers: outfielder Matthew Lugo, first baseman Niko Kavadas, and right-handers Ryan Zeferjahn and Yeferson Vargas.

Beginning the year at Double-A Portland, Lugo was enjoying a breakout season, posting a league-leading 1.069 OPS before his promotion to Worcester on June 4. In 35 games with the WooSox, the outfielder has slashed .250/.340/.452 with 15 extra-base hits.

Since his debut in Worcester on July 14, 2023, Kavadas has been a fan-favorite with his easy-going personality and titanic home runs. While being a dedicated member of the community, the 25-year-old has been among the most productive hitters in the International League this season. In 83 games, Kavadas has belted 17 home runs and driven in 63 runs while leading the league with a .975 OPS.

After a lights-out beginning to the season in Portland, Zeferjahn was promoted to Worcester on May 7. In 24.2 innings, the former third rounder has walked 17 and struck out 31 opposing batters.

With the Trade Deadline now in the past, the WooSox will continue the second half of their season, hoping to make their own playoff push.