The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates have completed a 5 player deal which will see Boston bolster their starting pitching, and Pittsburgh add a bat to their lineup.
Heading to Pittsburgh is Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso, while Boston will acquire Johan Oviedo, Tyler Samaniego, and Adonys Guzman. Garcia, previously ranked the number 3 prospect in the Red Sox farm system, figures to compete for an everyday outfield spot with the Pirates, and could potentially join Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds at PNC Park next summer.
Garcia batted .267 with 21 home runs and an .810 OPS across 114 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He then had a cup of coffee with the big league club, going 1 for 7 with a double and two walks across 5 games before being sent back down to Triple-A Worcester.
The deal seems to solve a problem for each team, as Boston adds a pitcher with upside to their rotation, while the league’s worst offence is hoping to add an impact bat to their lineup. Pittsburgh ranked dead last in the majors in terms of runs scored last year, but had a surplus of quality arms in their rotation. Meanwhile Boston already has Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu competing for at bats in the outfield spot, so could afford to part ways with a promising prospect.
The 6’6″ Oviedo has a fastball that touches 98mph, and a plus slider in his arsenal of pitches. He posted a 3.57 ERA with 42 Ks across 40.1IP last year after returning from Tommy John surgery. The 27 year old is also under team control through the 2027 MLB campaign.
The one knock on Oviedo is his propensity to issue free passes. With 23 walks in his small sample size last year, the right hander needs to work on his consistency and attacking the strike zone if he hopes to carve out a meaningful role with the Red Sox.
Travieso (minor league RHP), Samaniego (minor league LHP), and Guzman (minor league catcher) all figure to need some additional seasoning in the minors in 2026, with none of them having played higher than Double-A baseball to date.
Photo: Dan Gaken. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.