This is interesting! While it may not satisfy the hopes of fans of both teams for immediate major league success as they strive for a postseason berth, the trade makes a lot of sense given the strength of both teams’ organizations. Boston has not been shy about pursuing young pitchers and has a wealth of top-level position prospects, something that is sorely lacking in a Pirates farm system chock-full of exciting pitchers. Naturally, the two teams could partner up in an exchange of former first-round draft picks with the idea that both players would likely thrive in other organizations based on both their recent trajectories and the depth of talent surrounding them.
Priester has already played in both starting and relief roles in the major leagues, but Boston should view him as a long-term rotation candidate if he makes the right adjustments. Priester throws strikes and gets a fair few grounders, but he’s struggled to find a weapon that can consistently get strikeouts. I think there’s a good chance Boston will be able to help him find that weapon.
As for York, his prospects appeared to plateau after a breakout 2021 pro debut, but he’s back on track with a solid performance in Triple-A at age 22. He’s a right-handed second baseman by trade but can also play left field, and Pittsburgh sees his hitting potential as a way to somehow cement himself in the lineup as early as 2025 or sooner.
