During the 2024 trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent 2019 first-round pick and former top prospect Quinn Priester to the Boston Red Sox for one of their former first-round picks and top prospects, Nick Yorke. Priester once looked like a future cog in the Pirates’ rotation, but stalled out in the upper levels of the minor leagues and struggled in his brief Major League Baseball work before the trade. Meanwhile, Yorke was blocked from getting regular playing time at the time of the trade.
The Pirates should do something similar with Thomas Harrington. Harrington was a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport as recently as early 2025 and even entered 2026 Spring Training as a rotation candidate. However, that once-promising outlook isn’t nearly as bright. He has struggled in a brief look in the Majors and has stalled out at Triple-A. So, if the Pirates were to make another trade like the Priester trade in 2026, what would it look like with Harrington involved?
A Mock Pirates Trade Based on the Quinn Priester Swap
Pittsburgh Pirates acquire: INF Ronny Mauricio
New York Yankees acquire: RHP Thomas Harrington
Harrington struggled in 8 2/3 innings in the Major Leagues in 2025 and hasn’t done much at Triple-A to earn another look. Since the start of the 2025 minor league season, Harrington has a 5.79 ERA, 5.43 FIP, and 1.42 WHIP over his last 158 innings pitched at Indianapolis. He is only striking out 21.3% of batters, with an 8.6% walk rate. Harrington has now spent most of the 2026 season in Indianapolis’ bullpen.
The rest of Harrington’s peripherals do not make him look any better. He is also very prone to hard contact and home runs, with a 1.69 HR/9 and an exit velocity of 90.6 MPH. His ability to limit quality contact has also deteriorated, with a 9.2% barrel rate. He is also not inducing many swings and misses either, with a whiff rate of 24%.
Harrington always projected as a high-floor/low-ceiling-type pitcher. He sits 91-93 MPH, topping out around 95 MPH with his four-seam fastball. The right-hander has a myriad of other secondaries, including a curveball, slider, cutter, splitter, and sinker. Along with his wide variety of offerings, Harrington has also displayed solid command.
While his results over the last two years haven’t been pretty, he did have a bout with a groin strain last year and underwent hip surgery in the offseason. He is not far removed from being one of the best pitching prospects in the entire sport.
What the Pirates Would Get Back
Mauricio ranked as a consensus top 100 prospect from 2019 through 2022 and was still appearing on some top 100 lists as late as 2024. The switch-hitting infielder has hit very well for the New York Mets’ Triple-A affiliate. Mauricio slashed .307/.360/.533 with a .385 wOBA, and 118 wRC+. He has shown both power and speed, with 32 home runs and going 35-for-42 in stolen base attempts over 597 plate appearances. Mauricio has also only struck out 17.9% of the time at Triple-A; however, he has an unimpressive 6.9% walk rate.
His results in MLB haven’t been nearly as pretty. Mauricio has appeared in 104 MLB games since 2023 with 342 plate appearances. In that time, he is batting just .226/.278/.345 with a .273 wOBA and 75 wRC+. He has struck out just over 30% of the time with a 30.1% K rate and has a subpar 6.4% BB rate. The raw power has translated to MLB, with a 90.9 MPH exit velocity, and he is a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts.
Mauricio has taken the field as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop. His best position is third base, where he has +5 defensive runs saved and +4 outs above average over about 350 innings. However, he has not played poorly at either second base or shortstop. His plus arm strength also allows him to play anywhere.
How Would This Benefit Both Teams?
The Mets need pitching help. Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are currently their only two reliable arms. Freddy Peralta is likely getting dealt at the trade deadline, and Sean Manaea has not pitched well this year. Their Triple-A depth is also thin. Jonah Tong, Zach Thornton, and Jack Wenninger are interesting prospects, but they could use another young hurler. The Pirates, meanwhile, could use another infielder capable of playing shortstop. As of right now, they’re relying on Jared Triolo and Jack Brannigan to cover Konnor Griffin’s absence.
The Pirates should see if they can pull off a trade similar to Priester with Harrington. The Mets could use some more pitching talent, and Mauricio has struggled in over 100 MLB games. While neither team is trading anything major, it is a swap of former top prospects who have struggled over the last few years and could use a change of scenery.
Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
