HOUSTON -- In a swap of former first-round draft picks, the Pirates are sending right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester to the Red Sox in exchange for 22-year-old infielder Nick Yorke.
With this deal, the Pirates see themselves trading from a position of depth to acquire an upper-level bat that can help the team this year and beyond. Despite the fact that he has yet to make his major-league debut, Yorke was selected No. 17 overall by the Red Sox in 2020 and was ranked as their No. 14 overall prospect according to Baseball America's latest prospect rankings. MLB Pipeline had him ranked No. 6 in the system. He was named the organization’s minor-league player of the year in 2021 after leading all Red Sox farmhands in batting average (.325), OPS (.928), hits (123), total bases (195) and runs scored (76).
"I think it's something that we've talked about. That we need to continue to add bats into our system, whether it's at the major-league level or the upper levels," Derek Shelton told reporters Monday. "It was a situation where we lined up well. We feel like we have some starting pitching and we're able to trade out some depth."
Yorke, who will report to Class AAA Indianapolis, slashed .278/.363/.422 with 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and 14 stolen bases through 83 games between Class AA Portland and Class AAA Worcester this season. In 38 games at the Class AAA level, he was hitting .310 with an .898 OPS, six homers and 19 RBIs. He struck out 32 times and drew 24 walks. Yorke has spent most of the year at his usual second base position, but could provide some versatility with the 27 games of experience he's had in left field this season.
“Nick has been a strong offensive performer and versatile defender in the minor leagues,” Ben Cherington said in a press release. “We are excited to add him to our upper level position player group.”
"He's having a really good year in Triple-A. He can play second base, he can play in the corners, which is important for us," Shelton said. "And he's continued to get better, which is the main thing that we were looking for in an offensive player."
Priester, 23, was the Pirates' No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He posted a 5-9 record with a 6.46 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP in 20 major-league appearances (14 starts) since making his debut on July 17, 2023. He's made 10 appearances and six starts for the Pirates this season, compiling a 5.04 ERA and 1.46 WHIP to go with a .283 batting average against. He's totaled 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in 44 2/3 innings. Priester has shifted to more of a long relief role out of the bullpen since being activated from the injured list on July 9. In four relief appearances, he allowed eight runs on 13 hits in 13 innings. His last outing resulted in him giving up five earned runs on five hits in four innings against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.
