Revisiting Red Sox’ trade of Quinn Priester to Brewers

Rodriguez came over to the Red Sox a little more than two years after originally signing with the Brewers for $1.5 million as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023. The San Pedro de Macorís native earned Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut, then advanced straight to the Low-A level, thus skipping the Arizona Complex League, to begin his first season stateside in 2024.

As an 18-year-old, Rodriguez held his own by batting .250/.343/.383 with 23 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 60 RBIs, 59 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 59 walks, and 115 strikeouts in 110 games (484 plate appearances) for Low-A Carolina last season. The left-handed-hitting teenager took another step forward by breaking camp with Milwaukee’s High-A affiliate this spring before being traded to Boston just three games (in which he went 5-for-12 with a double and triple) into his 2025 campaign.

Remaining at the same level upon switching organizations for the first time in his young career, Rodriguez debuted with High-A Greenville on April 8. As part of an up-and-down season, the 19-year-old outfielder batted .214/.312/.331 with 17 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 48 RBIs, 44 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 52 walks, and 81 strikeouts in 101 games (433 plate appearances) for the Drive. He particularly stood out in July by slashing .342/.375/.539 in 19 games (77 plate appearances) en route to receiving South Atlantic League Player of the Month honors, but struggled to a .159/.239/.232 line over 23 games (92 plate appearances) between August and September to end things on a rather disappointing note.

Among 46 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Rodriguez — lauded for his advanced feel of the strike zone — notably ranked fifth in strikeout rate (18.7 percent), sixth in fly-ball rate (43.9 percent), 12th in walk rate (12 percent), and 13th in opposite-field rate (32.2 percent) and swinging-strike rate (9.9 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Rodriguez saw playing time at all three outfield positions with Greenville this year. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder logged a team-leading 488 1/3 innings in left, 177 innings in right, and 117 innings in center, recording 13 outfield assists and committing just three errors in 165 total chances. He also made nine starts at DH.

Rodriguez, who turns 20 in December, is not currently regarded among Boston’s top prospects by Baseball America. At the same time, he is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 Red Sox prospect and SoxProspects.com’s No. 36 prospect. Barring his inclusion in a trade or other surprise move this winter, Rodriguez is projected to make the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2026 season.

John Holobetz

Exactly four weeks after adding Rodriguez, the Red Sox acquired right-hander John Holobetz from the Brewers as the player to be named later in the Priester deal.

Holobetz was selected by the Brewers in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2024 draft out of Old Dominion. The Pennsylvania native signed with Milwaukee for $322,500 last summer, but did not make his professional debut until this past April. He made five appearances (three starts) at the Low-A level to begin the 2025 season, posting a 3.00 ERA (2.28 FIP) with 31 strikeouts to five walks in 24 innings, before joining the Red Sox organization on May 5.

Four days and one promotion later, Holobetz debuted with Greenville on May 9. The 23-year-old righty proceeded to pitch to a 3.43 ERA with 62 strikeouts to 10 walks in 12 outings (11 starts) for the Drive. Though he gave up his fair share of hits, as evidenced by the fact that opponents batted .276 against him in that time, Holobetz was elevated to Portland in early August.

From there, Holobetz compiled a 2.39 ERA (2.60 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to just five walks over six outings (five starts) spanning 37 2/3 innings for the Sea Dogs. Opposing hitters in the Eastern League batted .205 against him as he finished his first full season in pro ball with a 3.03 ERA (3.04 FIP) in 23 appearances (19 starts) totaling 124 2/3 innings across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. That includes a 3.04 ERA (3.23 FIP) with 89 strikeouts to 15 walks in 100 2/3 innings between Greenville and Portland.

One of seven Red Sox minor leaguers to surpass the century mark in innings pitched this year, Holobetz was named a 2025 SoxProspects.com All-Star. Among those seven, he ranked first in walks per nine innings (1.34) and walk rate (3.8 percent), second in WHIP (1.11) and xFIP (3.17), and third in ERA and FIP, according to FanGraphs.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Holobetz throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lanky hurler operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a whiff-inducing 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 83-87 mph slider, a 79-82 mph curveball, and 84-87 mph changeup.

Holobetz, who does not turn 24 until next July, is not regarded among Boston’s top prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline but is ranked as SoxProspects.com’s No. 25 overall prospect and No. 13 pitching prospect. Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, Holobetz is projected to open the 2026 season in Portland’s starting rotation.

Marcus Phillips

In addition to Rodriguez and a player to be named later (Holobetz), the Red Sox acquired the 33rd overall selection in the 2025 draft from the Brewers for Priester in April. They used that pick to take Tennessee right-hander Marcus Phillips in July.

Days before celebrating his 21st birthday, Phillips signed with Boston for a below-slot $2.5 million on July 20, but did not pitch for an affiliate after putting pen to paper. The South Dakota native spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career at Tennessee after transferring from Iowa Western Community College. He posted a 3.90 ERA with 98 strikeouts to 34 walks in 17 starts (83 innings) for the Volunteers as a junior this past spring.

Listed at an imposing 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, Phillips has featured a three-pitch mix that includes a 96-99 mph fastball that can reach triple digits, an 84-88 mph slider, and a 90-94 mph changeup. The burly righty is currently ranked as Boston’s No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline, No. 14 by SoxProspects.com, and No. 16 by Baseball America.

Phillips is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2026 campaign in Greenville alongside fellow 2025 draftees Kyson Witherspoon and Anthony Eyanson. All three could move through the system very quickly, depending on how aggressive the Red Sox are with their development.