The Milwaukee Brewerstraded outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a player to be named later and a compensatory draft pick to the Boston Red Sox on Monday for starter Quinn Priester, who will presumably alleviate Milwaukee's rash of injuries to its starting rotation.
Priester hasn't had overt success in the big leagues, but here's what to know about the right-hander:
How old is Quinn Priester and where is he from?
Priester is 24 years old and hails from Cary-Grove High School in Illinois, a little more than 20 miles south of the Wisconsin border. He was drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates (18th overall) and traded to the Red Sox midway through last season.
How has Priester fared in the big leagues?
Priester made his debut in 2023 and struggled in 10 starts with the Pirates, posting a 7.74 ERA and a 1.700 WHIP. In 2024, he posted an improved 5.04 ERA with Pittsburgh in just about 45 innings, with six of his 10 outings as a starter. He also made one five-inning appearance for Boston after he was traded, coming in the 2024 season finale.
Overall in his big-league career, he has a 6.23 ERA in 15 starts and nearly 100 innings.
Priester has actually made more appearances against the Brewers (three) than any other team. In those outings, including two starts, he has allowed nine runs in 19 innings (a 5.06 ERA), including two homers — one to Sal Frelick last year and one against former teammate Carlos Santana in 2023.
In six minor-league seasons, Priester has a 26-17 record, 3.61 ERA and 1.248 WHIP. He struggled in spring training with the Red Sox and was assigned to Class AAA Worcester to open the year.
Why would the Brewers bring in a pitcher who has struggled?
Milwaukee has found diamonds in the rough before. Priester is a former top prospect, once ranked No. 60 in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, so he has that prospect pedigree. None of his pitches graded out as MLB average according to the pitching model Stuff+, but his sinker/slider combo is the type of profile Milwaukee often works with. He's also throwing a cutter more often, as of spring training.
There's also a matter of club control; Priester theoretically could be under team control for the next six years.
The Brewers are also in a bit of a desperate spot. Six of their projected top seven starting pitchers to begin the season are on the injured list, and Elvin Rodriguez has struggled mightily in two starts trying to fill one of the voids.
Of course, it's just as easy to presume that the Brewers will get some starters back soon, beginning Friday when the club is eligible to activate and promote starter José Quintana. And it's also easy to point out that the benefit of finding help from unlikely sources is that those unlikely sources don't often cost a lot of resources in a trade.
Three other things to know about Quinn Priester
- He caught a touchdown in the Illinois 6A football state championship as ...
