Red Sox's Latest Trade Acquisition, No. 11 Prospect Makes Statement In High-A Debut

One game is too early to say you "won" a trade, right?

Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez goes to bat during a spring training game in March 2024. | Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Boston Red Sox believe they got a good one in their trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

It was clear that the Brewers were desperate for starting pitching, with all but one of their Opening Day rotation arms already on the injured list. And the Red Sox certainly took advantage of Milwaukee's need.

For 24-year-old Quinn Priester, who failed to make the Red Sox rotation out of spring training, the Red Sox received 19-year-old outfielder Yophery Rodriguez, the 33rd pick in this season's Major League Baseball Draft, and either cash considerations or a player to be named later.

That's a hefty haul to command for any player, let alone a pitcher who has yet to prove he can stick in the big leagues. And on Tuesday, Rodriguez did his best to make the Red Sox feel good about the decision right from the jump.

Rodriguez went 2-for-5 in his Red Sox organizational debut with the High-A Greenville Drive. Amazingly enough, the hits were a double and a triple, which he had also done in his last game with the Brewers' High-A affiliate on Sunday.

A 2023 international signing from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was rated as the seventh-best prospect in Milwaukee's system by MLB Pipeline. The same publication now ranks him 11th in the Boston system, a testament to the entire Red Sox player development pipeline.

The Brewers were in the process of adding some loft to Rodriguez's swing at the time of the trade, and the four extra-base hits in four games are an indication that the adjustments seem to be working.

It's still very early to determine anything, but the Red Sox have to be feeling awfully confident about the trade. Not only does Rodriguez have immense potential, but Boston gets to choose another prospect, who will likely become another organizational Top 15 piece immediately after the draft.

Someday, depending on the careers of Rodriguez or the player the Red Sox select 33rd overall, this trade could be looked back upon as one of Craig Breslow's finest as Chief Baseball Officer.

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