The Red Sox acquired Johan Oviedo (and two additional players) from the Pirates in return for two of their own prospects. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox continue to try to improve their pitching staff. Last month they traded two prospects (one of whom pitched in 15 games over two seasons) to St. Louis in return for right-hander Sonny Gray. Gray will be either a number two or number three starter for the club.
Earlier this week they kept at it, sending outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (affectionately known as “The Password”) and right-handed pitcher Jesus Travieso to the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo, left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego, and catcher Adonys Guzman. To make room for their new additions, Boston designated righty pitcher Cooper Criswell for assignment.
Losing a player of Garcia’s potential (Boston’s #3 prospect) would normally be pretty painful, but the Red Sox have a surplus of outfield talent, and will probably have to make yet another move this off-season just to make space and allow playing time for their best players.
Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, but he made nine starts in 2025, going 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA for a hapless Pirates team. He struck out 42 in 40-1/3 innings of work. In 2023, he threw 177-2/3 innings, striking out 158 against 85 walks (and 13 hit batters). Oviedo is a monster, checking in at 6-feet-6, 275 pounds. Surprisingly, Fangraphs ranks his fastball at only a 55/60 (on the 20-80 scale), and says the same of his slider. Their overall future value for the righty is 45. The Red Sox, of course, hope they can form a diamond from this rather larger piece of coal. They will need to work on his control and his command to make that happen. But chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, a former pitcher, clearly sees something in the big Cuban.
Guzman provides the Red Sox with some potential catching depth, which they have lacked over the past few seasons. The 22-year-old out of the University of Arizona has played just one game at A-ball, so he, too, will need some seasoning before he can be an asset to the club.
The Pirates took Samaniego in the 15th round of the 2021 draft out of South Alabama. He has made 127 minor league appearances, 125 of which have come out of the bullpen. Fangraphs rates him with a 55 fastball and a 55 slider, with 55/60 command. A lefty with an ability to spot his pitches is always something valuable to have coming out of the bullpen, and it would seem the Red Sox believe he can fill a role either in 2026 or in 2027 (they have a full six years of control of the player).
Oviedo is obviously the prize of this deal. It is clear that coming back from Tommy John surgery unlocked something in his fastball. Mike Petriello of MLB.com pointed this out in a post on X:
The Red Sox are still looking for a power bat (a reunion with either Alex Bregman or Kyle Schwarber would work, so, too, would Pete Alonso) and more pitching depth. With the Winter Meetings beginning on Monday, Breslow will have no shortage of options as he does his pre-Christmas shopping. But adding a big righty with upside potential, after trading for a slightly less-big righty with a ton of experience, is a nice start to the off-season.
Boston’s fans were mildly pleased with making the playoffs for the first time since 2021 (but losing to the hated Yankees didn’t help matters). They will not be as content in 2026. So, adding and supplementing and making themselves better are all orders of the day for a team leader heading into his third season with the club. His honeymoon may soon be over.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danfreedman/2025/12/06/the-red-sox-and-pirates-complete-a-5-player-trade-with-potential-upside/
