As the MLB trade deadline looms closer, teams must make difficult decisions. Do they want to buy or sell, send off top prospects or take them in, or even stand pat with their current squads?
For the Red Sox, that decision is creeping up. Boston has positioned itself to play meaningful baseball once October rolls around. And while the Sox may want to add at the deadline, they must also part ways with pieces.
Luckily for them, one Triple-A hitter may help the organization bring in some MLB talent. Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke is becoming a potential trade chip for the franchise ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline.
Nick Yorke’s dominant Triple-A season
Yorke spent his first 45 games of 2024 with the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Red Sox. After batting just .251 and posting a .691 OPS, Boston still decided to promote its current No. 6 prospect to Triple-A. For the first time in his career, Yorke was playing for the Worcester Red Sox, just a step below the big leagues. And while his time in Portland may not have been dominant, his performances in Worcester sure are.
Yorke was called up to Triple-A on June 5. It didn’t take long for him to acclimate, recording three hits in his second contest with Worcester. He continued raking, putting up multi-hit games in four of his next nine matchups. Yorke hit home runs in consecutive games on June 8 and 9, his first two at the Triple-A level. He went almost a month without recording another until mashing two on Tuesday against the Syracuse Mets. After hitting four homers with Portland, he’s matched that number in just about half the contests with Worcester.
The second baseman has steadied his production with the WooSox. Through his first month with the team, Yorke has a strong .337 batting average with 15 RBI, 16 walks, six doubles, and four homers. His OPS sits at a dominant .968, the best of his career. Yorke has hits in all but three of his Triple-A matchups. His progression up the Red Sox system in 2024 has been seamless.
Nick Yorke becoming potential trade chip for Red Sox
Multiple factors have made Yorke a potential trade piece that Boston could use before the July 30th MLB trade deadline. His dominant displays in Triple-A have proved that his Double-A production wasn’t a ceiling. In nearly 1,500 MiLB games, Yorke has a .277 average and a near-.800 OPS. He’s consistently hit in the minors, something scouts always consider when evaluating talent.
Yorke is currently not a member of the Red Sox’s 40-man roster, which could cause issues for the club. If his play continues and Boston wants to call him up, they will have to eliminate a player currently sitting on that list. The Red Sox have just three non-MLB hitters on their 40-man. That includes Jamie Westbrook, Bobby Dalbec, and Tyler Heineman. The team would unlikely designate any of those three for assignment due to the depth they provide to the organization. Instead of binning players who have already made their way to the bigs, trading one who hasn’t, and currently can’t, is much easier.
Yorke is also Rule 5 eligible after this season, meaning other teams could potentially poach him from the Red Sox. On top of that, Boston has seen multiple middle-infield prospects begin to shoot up its system. Marcelo Mayer, currently the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball, isn’t too far away. Kristian Campbell has recently dominated and is starting to land on top-100 prospect lists. While people rise from within, space gets crowded. For Yorke, he may just be pushed out of the Red Sox’s next-man-up at second or short. It makes sense that, when push comes to shove, Yorke may be the one that leaves for MLB-impact talent.
What would Boston trade Yorke for?
Multiple insiders, including Ken Rosenthal, have pointed out that starting pitching may be the Red Sox's top priority once the deadline fully arrives. With rumors swirling across the league about pitchers like Garrett Crochet, Jack Flaherty, Luis Severino, and Yusei Kikuchi, among others, Boston should probably get its hands dirty in the trade market. Some starters, like Crochet, may cost more. But others, like Flaherty, Severino, and Kikuchi, are much cheaper.
Dangling someone like Yorke may be all it takes to get an MLB starting-caliber pitcher. If the Red Sox need pitching, which they certainly do, throwing Yorke’s name in the pot makes sense. That could even be true for a hitter or two, with Boston currently linked to Los Angeles Angels utility man Luis Rengifo.
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