John Tomase breaks down the good and bad after the Red Sox trade for Pirates reliever Quinn Priester.
The 2024 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and the Boston Red Sox held on to all but one of their top 10 prospects.
Nick Yorke, the club's first-round pick in the 2020 draft, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for 23-year-old right-hander Quinn Priester. A former top prospect in Pittsburgh's system, Priester was a first-round selection in 2019.
Yorke was ranked No. 6 in Boston's system, per MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old second baseman was in the midst of an outstanding season at Double-A Portland alongside the "Big Three" of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel.
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The Red Sox also parted ways with prospects Matthew Lugo, Ryan Zeferjahn, Yeferson Vargas, and Niko Kavadas in a last-second deal for Los Angeles Angels reliever Luis Garcia. Following the deadline, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow hinted that his moves cleared room for imminent prospect promotions -- perhaps for Mayer, Anthony, and/or Teel.
Until then, the trio will continue to rake in Portland. Here's a check-in on them and the rest of Boston's top 10 prospects.
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1. Marcelo Mayer, SS
2024 stats: .307/.370/.480, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 30 BB, 66 SO (77 games at Double-A Portland)
MLB ETA: 2025
Worcester is calling Mayer's name. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft continues to dominate in Portland and still leads all Double-A players in doubles with 28. Unfortunately, he just landed on the 7-day injured list with hip irritation so his promotion will have to wait a while longer.
2. Roman Anthony, OF
2024 stats: .254/.359/.474, 13 HR, 37 RBI, 45 BB, 86 SO (76 games at Double-A Portland)
MLB ETA: 2025
Anthony hasn't cooled off since his red-hot June. In fact, the 20-year-old slugger was even better in July, posting a .929 OPS with five homers in 16 games. His torrid stretch carried into August with a two-homer game on the first day of the month.
Like Mayer, Anthony is on track for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester by season's end.
3. Kyle Teel, C
2024 stats: .295/.386/.448, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 42 BB, 81 SO (76 games at Double-A Portland)
MLB ETA: 2025
Teel cooled off a bit in July after a dominant two-month stretch, posting a .739 OPS with one homer in 17 games for the Sea Dogs. Regardless, he's right there with Mayer and Anthony as a candidate to be promoted sooner rather than later.
4. Miguel Bleis, OF
2024 stats: .237/.319/.372, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 32 BB, 70 SO (43 games at Low-A Salem, 32 games at High-A Greenville)
MLB ETA: 2027
Bleis started slow following his promotion to High-A Greenville but has since found his groove. After posting a .430 OPS in June, he upped that number to .765 in July with four doubles and four homers.
If he can stay healthy, Bleis has all the tools to creep back into Top 100 MLB prospects lists.
5. Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP
2024 stats: 56.2 IP, 3-2, 6.04 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 37 BB, 63 SO (17 games, 14 starts at Double-A Portland)
MLB ETA: 2025
Gonzalez appears to have found something after a dreadful start to the campaign. The right-hander posted a 1.93 ERA with a .170 batting average against and 1.00 WHIP in four starts last month.
6. Yoeilin Cespedes, SS
2024 stats: .319/.400/.615, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 12 BB, 19 SO (25 games at Florida Complex League)
MLB ETA: 2027
Cespedes, one of the most exciting young prospects in the Red Sox system, has been sidelined by a broken hamate in his left hand.
7. Nazzan Zanetello, SS
2024 stats: .187/.305/.341, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 29 BB, 89 SO (49 games at Low-A Salem)
MLB ETA: 2028
Zanetello has shown impressive power but has struggled mightily with strikeouts. The 2023 second-rounder has struck out in a whopping 89 of his 182 at-bats. The good news is he's only 19 years old, so he has plenty of time to improve in that category.
8. Luis Perales, RHP
2024 stats: 33.2 IP, 2-2, 2.94 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 12 BB, 56 SO (Seven starts at High-A Greenville, two starts at Double-A Portland)
MLB ETA: 2027
Perales remains out after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month.
9. Richard Fitts, RHP
2024 stats: 82.2 IP, 5-5, 4.90 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 33 BB, 74 SO (18 games, 17 starts at Triple-A Worcester)
MLB ETA: 2024
July was a month to forget for Fitts. The 24-year-old righty had a 7.94 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through four starts in the month for Worcester. He'll look to improve his command in August after walking seven batters and plunking two in 17 innings.
10. Mikey Romero, SS/2B
2024 stats: .282/.326/.532, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 11 BB, 45 SO (3 games at Florida Complex League, 47 games at High-A Greenville)
MLB ETA: 2026
Romero replaces Yorke in Boston's top 10 prospects list at a perfect time. The 20-year-old, who was a first-round pick in 2022, notched a .354/.382/.780 slash line with seven homers for Greenville in July. He's unquestionably the hottest hitter in the Red Sox system at the moment.
It looks like the back injury that has plagued him for the last year is finally in the past.
