The Boston Red Sox once again dominated the headlines around Major League Baseball on Thursday night, as they made a second trade in as many weeks to beef up the starting rotation.
In a five-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston reportedly acquired 27-year-old right-handed starter Johan Oviedo, who made nine decent starts this year in his return from Tommy John surgery, but has long flashed potential to be a true rotation stalwart. They paid a real price as well, shipping top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to Pittsburgh.
If you simply examine surface-level stats, you might be confused as to why the Red Sox wanted Oviedo so badly. But his excellent raw stuff and bloody Baseball Savant page tell a different story. Plus, there’s even more recent context we can call upon that paints the trade in a positive light.
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What made Oviedo so attractive in trades
On Nov. 18, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported in an offseason notes column that Oviedo was drawing trade interest. And based on how the Pirates valued him internally, it sure seems as though the Red Sox raised their ceiling significantly in this deal.
“What is it about Oviedo teams like?” Rosenthal and Sammon wrote at the time. “A Pirates official, granted anonymity for his candor, said Oviedo …
Improved his fastball shapes while rehabilitating, achieving greater separation between his four-seamer and two-seamer.Missed so much time that he still will be relatively affordable in his final two years of arbitration, with MLBTradeRumors.com projecting at $2 million next season.Intrigues teams as a 6-foot-5, 245-pound behemoth who touches 98 mph and is highly competitive, raising the possibility of untapped potential.”
Not only did Oviedo strike out more than a batter per inning in his nine starts this year, but he has the potential to cut down on his walks (23 in 40 2/3 innings) and really take off. He’s releasing the ball just 52 1/2 feet from the plate, and that’s not a lot of fun for any hitter to try to square up.
All that, for the price of an outfielder who wasn’t going to play anything more than a platoon role this year, sure seems like a decent bargain.
Obviously, Oviedo has a lot to prove, and the Red Sox would be taking a risk by making him and Gray their only rotation acquisitions. But if you think all Boston sees here is a back-of-the-rotation piece with a low-fours ERA, you’d be dead wrong.
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