Pirates trade former top prospect for Red Sox first-round second baseman

The stove is hot! According to a report from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates are finalizing a deal that will send right-handed starter Quinn Priester to Boston and infield prospect Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates selected Priester at No. 18 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. He has a 6.46 ERA over 20 major league appearances with Pittsburgh (14 starts) and has allowed 25 earned runs in 44.2 innings (5.04 ERA) this season.

Originally drafted as a starting pitcher, Priester has only made appearances out of the Pirates' bullpen since returning from the injured list on July 9. He became somewhat infamous for his tendency to let innings spiral out of control, as we saw when he gave up five runs over four innings of relief during the Pirates' 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Saturday. In total, Priester has allowed eight runs over 13 innings since his return from the IL.

Pirates acquire infield prospect Nick Yorke in trade with Red Sox

In exchange for Priester, the Pirates will acquire Yorke, whom Boston selected at No. 17 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. Yorke is the Red Sox's No. 6 prospect overall and their top prospect at second base, according to MLB Pipeline. He has primarily played at the keystone this season and is slashing .278/.363/.422 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 83 games split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.

Yorke's first 38 games at the Triple-A level this season have been particularly impressive, resulting in a slash line of .310/.408/.490. This is promising news for the Pirates, who desperately need bats. Pittsburgh's clutch-hitting second baseman, Nick Gonzales, landed on the IL with a groin injury over the weekend, causing the Pirates to re-call Alika Williams, further depleting their middle infield stock in Triple-A Indianapolis. They had already re-called utilityman Ji Hwan Bae earlier in the week when outfielder Bryan Reynolds headed to the MLB bereavement list.

Per MLB Pipeline, Yorke has "a pretty right-handed swing and advanced plate discipline and pitch recognition." His bat profiles well at any position; still, the Pirates' decision to go after an infield prospect is an interesting one, considering their No. 2 overall prospect – and the only prospect in their top five who is not a pitcher – is infielder Termarr Johnson.

Johnson is currently playing at High-A Greensboro and could still be a couple years away from reaching the majors. Yorke is closer to being big-league ready – and if he continues to produce offensively, he could easily leapfrog Williams or Bae in the Pirates' system.

What that means for Gonzales when he eventually returns from injury is still unclear. But in the meantime, it appears that the Pirates have added a utility infielder to a team of utility infielders.

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