Yophery

Rodriguez

This is quite a swing for the Red Sox, who are also getting a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick and a player to be named later or cash considerations. Rodriguez was the seventh-ranked prospect in the Brewers’ organization and hit .250/.343/.383 with seven home runs and seven steals in 484 plate appearances as one of the youngest players in A-ball last year. He was the highest-paid player in Milwaukee’s international signing class in 2023 and possesses elite athleticism. He remains incredibly young and far from the big leagues, so there is a lot of growth that needs to happen here, but this upside is sky high.

The Brewers’ rotation has been crushed by injuries with all of Brandon Woodruff, Tobias Myers, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, DL Hall and Aaron Ashby on the IL, so they needed to make a move for a starter. This one did cost them their seventh-ranked prospect in Rodriguez and a Competitive Balance pick, which is a pick between the first and second round in the 2025 MLB Draft. Priester, who the Red Sox acquired from the Pirates last year, almost won a rotation spot in Boston in spring training. Since coming to Boston, Priester has added a cutter, revamped his slider, and now features a six-pitch mix. Like Myers, this is the type of pitcher from which the Brewers tend to get strong results, so it wouldn’t be a shock for Priester to become deep-league relevant this year. The Brewers designated RHP Grant Wolfram for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.