Let’s take a break from the doom-and-gloom discourse as the Boston Red Sox try to bring a big bat to town.

Boston struck out on both Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber and now Alex Bregman is one of the hottest names on the market. It’s a nerve-wracking time if you’re a Red Sox fan, but let’s take a look at some of the good. The Red Sox have done a very solid job of bolstering the starting rotation this offseason. Acquiring Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals arguably gave the club a perfectly solid No. 2 option at a significant discount than what the club would’ve had to pay in free agency or for someone like Joe Ryan.

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Boston didn’t stop there, though. The club acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal centered around Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia.

The Red Sox have a hurler fans can get excited about

Oviedo was good in a small sample size in 2025, but he isn’t a household name yet. So, why should fans be excited? Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey discussed Oviedo with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam and it sounds like the team thinks very highly of him.

“On Johan Oviedo, obtained earlier this month from Pittsburgh: ‘When you look at Oviedo and the quality of the four-seamer, the consistency of the profile in terms of vertical break and how that made strides the last few years, (it’s impressive),’ Bailey said as transcribed by McAdam. ‘Keeping that consistent is primary and obviously lowering the walk rate is going to be a big driver of his success. I think there’s some stuff we can do to help with the breaking ball component to round out his arsenal.

‘Controlling the zone, living in the zone and attacking with that mindset… strategizing ways to help him do that is where we’re at. He’s had success at the major league level and striking guys out. There’s a lot to like about him, not only as a pitcher but as a person as I get to know him. I think the Boston fan base will grow to love him.'”

Oviedo made nine starts in 2025 and had a 3.57 ERA for Pittsburgh in 40 1/3 innings pitched. That was after missing the entire 2024 season. He’s just 27 years old and has electric stuff. If he can develop into a consistent option in Boston’s rotation, the club could be set for a bit as he won’t be a free agent until 2028. What should also help is that Spotrac currently has his projected contract in arbitration to be roughly $2 million. If the Red Sox can have a consistent hurler at that price, there’s no reason to not spend heavily on the offense.

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