Alex Cora Explains Why Red Sox Traded Pitcher Drafted In First Round

Quinn Priester’s time with the Red Sox was over before it started.

Boston saw enough potential in Priester to acquire him in exchange for infielder Nick Yorke, who the franchise drafted 17th overall in 2020. But a little over eight months after that deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Red Sox traded Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a package headlined by a 19-year-old outfield prospect.

While Boston decided to part ways with Priester, that doesn’t mean the organization thought the 24-year-old couldn’t eventually become a quality big league arm. As Alex Cora explained Monday, Priester simply was on the outside looking in at a robust Red Sox pitching group.

“We saw one option (Hunter Dobbins) yesterday and he was really good,” Cora told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “We’re going to see one tonight (Richard Fitts) and he’s a good pitcher. And we’ve got two in Triple-A. So I think that’s kind of like trading from a power point, whatever you call it. That’s our strength now.”

Cora added: “I think as an organization, we’ve got to do what’s best for the organization. He’s a good kid. He did everything that we asked him to do in the offseason. He came to spring training a lot stronger. He had a good spring training, but this is where we’re at now.”

Priester was added to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster upon the trade, which helped the banged-up Brewers add needed pitching depth. So, the right-hander might be on the verge of an MLB opportunity that probably wasn’t going to be available to him any time soon in Boston.