{"id":51909,"date":"2025-04-11T11:39:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T11:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909"},"modified":"2025-04-11T11:39:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T11:39:24","slug":"mlb-notebook-why-the-trade-of-quinn-priester-marks-an-important-step-for-red-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909","title":{"rendered":"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Andrew<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

On the face of it, the Red Sox\u2019 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week hardly qualified as a blockbuster.<\/p>\n

Nine months after they traded for him last July,\u00a0the Red Sox spun starting pitcher Quinn Priester to the Brewers\u00a0in exchange for a 19-year-old outfield prospect (Yophery Rodriguez) and a competitive balance pick that will give the Sox the 33rd selection in this July\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

Maybe Priester becomes a formidable major league starter and maybe he doesn\u2019t. Maybe Rodriguez blossoms into a star or maybe he never reaches the major leagues. And maybe the pick is a prospect or maybe he\u2019s a bust.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s noteworthy about the trade is the fact that\u00a0the Red Sox\u00a0traded away a young starting pitcher, someone with whom they were intrigued enough last summer to give up a former first-round pick (Nick Yorke).<\/p>\n

And what that says about the state of the Red Sox\u2019 farm system speaks volumes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of trade the Red Sox couldn\u2019t have even contemplated only a year ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a little bit uncomfortable to trade starting pitching depth,\u201d acknowledged Red Sox chief baseball offier Craig Breslow, \u201cespecially someone young with controllable upside. But last year, I think our system was so skewed toward position players that it would have unthinkable (to do something like this in April of 2024).\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a trade is just a trade. But both the timing and the nature of the deal makes it a significant one if for no other reason than it reveals what the Red Sox are thinking about what they currently have on hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (the trade) is significant for a lot of reasons,\u201d said Breslow. \u201cOne, any time you give up controllable starting pitching, there\u2019s massive risk on both sides that go along with that. But I do think it speaks to us being in a different position, just in terms of the quality of depth that we have that we think is capable of contributing in the short term.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made sense for us to (acquire Priester) at the last deadline where Nick Yorke is a really good player but maybe didn\u2019t have the clearest path to contribute here. And then based on some of the transactions that we made over the winter, some of the steps forward guys have made here, we felt like this was an opportunity for us to add future value that we couldn\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still think that Quinn Priester is going to be a major league starter for a long time. But we saw what (Richard) Fitts was able to do in spring training, and (Sean) Newcomb had a great spring and both of those guys are in our rotation.\u00a0Hunter (Dobbins) came up and was really impressive in the start he made.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just the pitchers who are already contributing at the major league level, however briefly. On the horizon, the Red Sox have another wave of arms coming. They won\u2019t be factors in Boston this year, or perhaps even next, but there\u2019s no denying the promise of the likes of Luis Perales (considered by most the promising of the organization\u2019s pitching prospects, even as he recovers from Tommy John surgery), 18-year-old Juan Valera, David Sandlin and recent draft picks Connelly Early (2023, fifth round) and Payton Tolle (2023, second round).<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the organization which went more than a decade without developing a starting pitcher of note, has a stable filling up, behind such homegrown products as Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can start to feel like we\u2019re building a pipeline,\u201d said Breslow, \u201cthat can replenish major league talent. But you\u2019re not going to find somebody who sits in my chair and says, \u2018I have enough starting pitching.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Gone are the days when the development system was entirely lopsided \u2014 full of potential star position players like the current Big 3 \u2014 but nearly bereft of starting pitching options.<\/p>\n

The Sox could churn out hitter after hitting, going back to Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts, on through Jarren Duran and Triston Casas, and now, the troika of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, but couldn\u2019t seem to develop even a decent back-end starter.<\/p>\n

Even the current crop, either currently in the big leagues (Fitts), or recently helping in the bullpen (Cooper Criswell), or matriculating through the system (Sandlin) were all acquired from outside the organization, either by trade or free agency.<\/p>\n

But the next level \u2014 Perales, Valera, Tolle and Early \u2014 are legitimately homegrown: either drafted or signed as international free agents, developing their way to Boston.<\/p>\n

Breslow, for his part, doesn\u2019t differentiate between acquiring pitching (as he did with Sandlin and Fitts) or developing it from scratch (as they\u2019re attempting to do with Dobbins, Perales, Early and Tolle). To him, finding young quality pitching that offer years of team control is a positive, regardless of how they got the Red Sox organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a significant aspect of pitching development,\u201d he said, \u201cthat\u2019s just taking as many shots on goal as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that Breslow has instilled in both coaches and player development personnel a distinct philosophy that\u2019s been made uniform and helps explain the ascension of so many tantalizing arms within the system.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a strong alignment at this point about what we value as an organization,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about how swing and miss is infallible. From (director of pitching) Justin Willard to Bails (pitching coach Andrew Bailey) on down, I think the program, the infrastructure has done a really good job of aligning behind what is important to the point that our pitchers understand what is valued here. The programs are built out to emphasize velocity and stuff.<\/p>\n

\n
\u201cWe understand there are certain (physical) risks inherent in that type of intervention. We also understand the upside is significant and we need to continue to push that.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
And when an organization gets to a point that it has sufficient enough numbers of pitchers on the horizon that it can afford to deal one for a speculative return, it\u2019s proof positive that the pitching development program, once notoriously barren, is now, at last, bearing fruit.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It seems hard to believe,\u00a0especially for someone who just had a $170 million contract lavished upon him, that until last week, Garrett Crochet had never before pitched into the eighth inning of a major league game.<\/p>\n

In fact, only twice before had he pitched as many as\u00a0seven<\/i> innings.<\/p>\n

Sure, we\u2019re in a different world where complete games are nearly as rare as no-hitters, and pitch counts and innings limits rule the day.<\/p>\n

And in Crochet\u2019s case, there were extenuating circumstances. First, without spending so much as a day in the minors after signing out of the University of Tennessee, he was used exclusively in the minors. Then, in 2022, he needed Tommy John surgery which wiped out all of that year and most of 2023, too.<\/p>\n

Finally, in 2024, his workload was carefully monitored by the White Sox. Knowing they had a potentially valuable trade piece on their hands, they didn\u2019t allow him to pitch more than four innings in any one start in the second half of that season.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how, last week in Baltimore, Crochet got to feel, for the first time as pro, the rarified air of the eighth inning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a building process, even as he assumes the role of staff ace and signs the second-biggest contract in history for a Red Sox pitcher. There\u2019s a physical component to building up, for certain, but much of it is mental.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of an evolution, as Crochet learns on the job<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, last year was more of an adjustment period for me,\u201d said Crochet recently. \u201cEven last year, it felt like more of a mental hurdle. During spring training, you do two ups, you get a little sore, you do three ups and now you can do anything.<\/p>\n

\u201c(In 2024) spring training, I don\u2019t think I built up that much. I went two innings three times, three innings twice and four once. This year, I went six ups on my last one, so I feel like I was a lot better set up to (go deep) this early in the year. Obviously, it all comes down to pitch count. But I feel like, with adrenaline and what not, you can kind of make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Crochet went out to pitch an eighth inning at Camden Yards, something he hadn\u2019t done since college, he wasn\u2019t focused on how to accomplish something he had never before tried.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was more last year, when I got to the seventh and I remember thinking, \u2018Hey man, I\u2019ve been pitching in this game for an hour and 40 minutes \u2014 that\u2019s a long time!\u2019 Now, I sit down, I go back out, I sit down, I go back out…It\u2019s kind of just what I do now. Honestly, I think I could have gone out for the ninth; obviously, I was at 102 pitches or whatever.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s one of those things where I sit down, I take my breath and I can kind of do that an unlimited amount of times. Who knows if 100 pitches is really the part where we should be worried? I feel like, as long as I get the rest in between (innings) I can just keep (expletive) going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of that may stem from his size. Crochet is no wispy Chris Sale, who looked as though a stiff breeze could sometimes topple him. Instead, at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Crochet more closely resembles an edge rusher or tight end \u2013 big, strong, and intimidatingly physical.<\/p>\n

Last year, knowing he was under close watch, he could pitch with abandon. There was no effort to conserve himself or hold back his elite velocity for the later innings; there would be no\u00a0later\u00a0<\/i>innings. Without regard for saving himself, he could empty the tank from the beginning.<\/p>\n

This year is different. The Red Sox want innings from him and he feels a responsibility to give most of the bullpen the night off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely trying to be efficient,\u201d he said of the outing in Baltimore. \u201cLast year, I obviously struck out a ton of guys. But I didn\u2019t really know how many pitches they were going to let me go. So my goal wasn\u2019t to be efficient. Six innings was a win last year for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, six innings is no longer a win. Six innings is sub-standard; I\u2019m trying to go seven or eight every time I touch the mound. I take one shot for a strikeout and if I miss or it\u2019s a foul ball, it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, so what, I\u2019m not striking this guy out.\u2019 Then it\u2019s back to competing in the zone and getting the out anyway I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crochet measures success for his ability to take the ball for every one of his scheduled starts and go as deep as possible in each, but he hasn\u2019t set an innings goal for the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s such a long season,\u201d he offered, \u201canything can happen. If I had a certain number in my mind and then the next start I went just four, now I\u2019m doing the math in my head, \u2018What start am I going to have to go CG (complete game) to be able to achieve my goal?\u2019 \u2018\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suddenly, the Red Sox are in a good enough place with their pitching development that they could afford to trade a starter this week. Also, Garrett Crochet is learning on the job how to pitch deep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":51910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nMLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Suddenly, the Red Sox are in a good enough place with their pitching development that they could afford to trade a starter this week. Also, Garrett Crochet is learning on the job how to pitch deep.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909\",\"name\":\"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798\",\"name\":\"MsNga\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsNga\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365","og_description":"Suddenly, the Red Sox are in a good enough place with their pitching development that they could afford to trade a starter this week. Also, Garrett Crochet is learning on the job how to pitch deep.","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsNga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsNga","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909","name":"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-11T11:39:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-65.jpg","width":1600,"height":1600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=51909#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MLB Notebook: Why the trade of Quinn Priester marks an important step for Red Sox"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798","name":"MsNga","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsNga"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51911,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51909\/revisions\/51911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}