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Jhostynxon Garcia (Photo courtesy of Ashley Green/Worcester Red Sox)

The Red Sox continued their offseason quest to remake their rotation depth, landing Pirates righthander Johan Oviedo in a five-player deal. In return, Pittsburgh acquired Top 100 Prospect Jhostynxon Garcia. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Boston is also acquiring minor league catcher Adonys Guzman and lefthanded reliever Tyler Samaniego. Teenage righthander Jesus Travieso goes to Pittsburgh as part of the deal.

It’s a trade that makes sense for both sides. The Pirates are well-stocked with pitching depth and in need of reinforcements for their big league lineup, especially in the outfield. There wasn’t a clear path to outfield playing time in Boston for Garcia, who ranked sixth in the Red Sox system entering 2026. This is also not the first time the clubs have dealt from areas of depth; the Pirates acquired Nick Yorke from Boston for Quinn Priester in 2024.

For the Red Sox, it’s the second notable addition to their rotation mix after acquiring RHP Sonny Gray earlier this winter. Boston’s rotation depth was tested by the end of its playoff run in 2025, leading the club to call up both Payton Tolle and Connelly Early down the stretch, and Lucas Giolito (who missed the postseason with an elbow injury) is now a free agent. The Red Sox now have a host of options to pick from, including untested tyles like Tolle, Early,

Oviedo figures to factor in more toward the back of the rotation, which could also include the likes of Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval if they can return healthy,

More to come…

RED SOX ACQUIRE

Johan Oviedo, RHP
Age: 27

Signed by the Cardinals out of Cuba in July 2016, Oviedo arrived in Pittsburgh in a 2022 deadline deal that sent Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton to St. Louis. He already had two years of major league experience and established himself as a regular starter in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery after the season. Oviedo missed all of 2024 and returned in rehab outings in early July of 2025. He rejoined the Pirates on Aug. 4 and made nine starts down the stretch, posting a 3.57 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 23 walks over 40.1 innings. Oviedo sits in the mid 90s with two fastball shapes and mixes three secondaries. He fits an archetype that the Red Sox covet: He’s a giant at 6-foot-6 with 7-foot-4 extension and a flat vertical approach angle on his fastball. He should provide the Red Sox with starter depth and could also work multiple-inning relief.

Adonys Guzman, C
Age: 22

A New York native, Guzman began his college career at Boston College before transferring to Arizona. The Pirates selected him in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, and he made one appearance with Low-A Bradenton. Most of his present value is tied to his defense behind the plate. He has plus arm strength and controls the running game well. Offensively, he took a step forward as a junior at Arizona, slugging nine homers with solid swing decisions and raw pullside power, though he’ll need to improve his contact consistency as a pro. Guzman, who was traded on his birthday, was not set to rank in the Pirates’ Top 30 Prospects. 

Tyler Samaniego, LHP
Age: 26

Samaniego pitched well enough in his return from elbow troubles in 2025 to earn a brief spot on the Pirates’ 40-man roster when they protected him from the Rule 5 draft last month, even though he’ll turn 27 in January and has never pitched above Double-A. His best pitch is a mid-90s fastball that touched 97 mph in 2025 with plus extension, above-average spin and heavy armside run. He landed it for strikes roughly two-thirds of the time and generated a miss rate around 30%. He pairs it with a low-to-mid-80s slider and a seldom-used upper-80s changeup. Samaniego helps replenish Boston’s upper-level relief depth from the left side, which thinned after the club dealt Brennan Bernardino (Rockies) and Chris Murphy (White Sox).

PIRATES ACQUIRE

Jhostynxon Garcia, OF
Age: 22

Affectionately known as ‘The Password’, Garcia has enjoyed a steady rise over the last two seasons, ranking among the Top 100 Prospects in 2025. Garcia is a power-hitting outfielder with a plus arm and enough bat-to-ball ability to consistently get to power in games. His aggressive approach leads to high rates of hard contact but also a fair amount of whiffs in and out of the strike zone. Garcia made his major league debut with the Red Sox on Aug. 22 and played in five games. Garcia spent a majority of his season patrolling centerfield for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, but long term is likely best suited for an outfield corner. Garcia should immediately start for the Pirates in 2026 and could hit in the middle of Pittsburgh’s order. 

Jesus Travieso, RHP
Age: 18

Signed out of Venezuela in January of 2024, Travieso came stateside in 2025 after a strong debut in the Dominican Summer League. He opened the year with 12 appearances in the Florida Complex League, pitching to a 2.77 ERA with 52 strikeouts to 25 walks over 39 innings. Boston promoted Travieso to Low-A Salem on July 27 and he made seven appearances over the final weeks of the season.

Undersized at 5-foot-11, Travieso mixes four pitches in a gyro slider, four-seam fastball, changeup and sweeper. His 84-86 mph slider is his primary pitch, with tight gyro spin and above-average spin rates. Travieso shows the ability to command the slider in and out of the zone generating high rates of whiffs and lots of strikes. The four-seam fastball sits 94-96 mph touching 100 mph at peak with below-average shape. Travieso doesn’t generate much ride or run, and lacks the extension to create deceptive release traits on the pitch. He does a good job of killing lift on the changeup and he commands the pitch well, making it at least an average offering. He used his work-in-progress sweeper infrequently. It has some downward tilt and sits in the mid 80s but he’s flashed poor command of the pitch in games.

Overall, Travieso has fastball velocity and two above-average secondaries with below-average command and an undersized frame. He’s likely to be bucketed as a future reliever, but will likely get future opportunities to start.Â