Brewers Nab Intriguing 24-Year-Old Former Top Prospect In Trade With Red Sox

The Milwaukee Brewers' starting pitching has been awful early in the 2025 season, and they're not waiting around for it to fix itself.

Through 10 games, Brewers starters have a 5.18 ERA, the seventh-worst mark in Major League Baseball. They've also allowed a league-high 16 home runs, nine of which came in the opening series against the New York Yankees.

While the statistics can't be cause for total panic after such a small sample, the reality is that the Brewers didn't have enough reliable starters to make up a rotation. Beyond ace Freddy Peralta, it's hard to know which members of this starting staff will keep their spots.

That seems to be what prompted the Brewers' front office to add another name to the mix on Monday.

According to multiple reports, including Beyond the Monster's Hunter Noll, the Brewers have acquired right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick, and either a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Priester, 24, was a 2019 first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates and formerly regarded as a Top-100 prospect in all of baseball. He made his major league debut in 2023 but struggled to establish himself, eventually being traded to Boston last July for infielder Nick Yorke.

Priester spent most of last season in Triple-A but debuted for the Red Sox in September and entered spring training with a chance to earn a rotation spot in Boston. He lost a training camp battle to lefty Sean Newcomb, however, and began the season in the minors once again.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Priester features a six-pitch mix and added velocity over the winter, reaching 97 miles per hour during the spring. He allowed two earned runs and struck out six across four innings in his first start of the year with the Worcester Red Sox.

Rodriguez, 19, was regarded as the Brewers' number-seven prospect by MLB Pipeline. He is a smooth-swinging lefty outfielder who was off to a blazing start to the season at High-A Wisconsin.

Priester could theoretically join the Brewers rotation right away, but it remains to be seen whether that's Milwaukee's plan for him. But this is an organization known for getting the most out of its pitchers, both young and old, so one shouldn't doubt that he can maximize his talents as a Brewer.

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