Regret Bites Red Sox As Recently Traded Prospect Excels At Plate With Pirates

Did Boston mess up one of its deadline deals?

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The Boston Red Sox made a handful of moves before the deadline, but not all have been home runs.

James Paxton could be done for the year, which cannot be called the fault of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Paxton was pitching well before he got hurt. The Danny Jansen acquisition has been a surefire positive.

On the other hand, Breslow might ultimately regret trading away prospect Nick Yorke, who is already excelling in his new home.

Breslow traded Yorke to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitching prospect Quinn Priester on July 29. When the trade went down, some reports immediately recognized it as a loss for the Red Sox, and early returns from Yorke in Pittsburgh’s organization support such a theory.

On Wednesday, MLB.com’s Chris Henrique reported on a big game from Yorke and noted his robust batting average since being traded.

“Pirates prospect Nick Yorke collected three hits on Wednesday night for Triple A Indianapolis (Indians),” Henrique said. “He went 3-for-5 and is hitting .362 since joining Pitts. organization.”

Yorke was an impressive prospect in Boston’s farm system, and the change of scenery hasn’t deterred the 22-year-old, who was selected by the Red Sox with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

It’s easy to get carried away with a small sample size and judge trades far too soon. Priester is only 23 years old and could very well develop into a contributing pitcher for Boston down the line.

At the moment, however, Boston fans can't help but have a sour taste in their mouths as they witness Yorke's production.

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