The Red Sox acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it came at a cost.
The Boston Red Sox struck on the trade market again on Thursday night, acquiring starting pitcher Johan Oviedo in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Boston acquired Oviedo, left-hander Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman for top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and righty Jesus Travieso.
About Oviedo
A five-year veteran of the St. Louis Cardinals and Pirates, Oviedo is 15-26 lifetime with a 4.24 ERA. He missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery and returned to make nine starts in 2025, going 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA. He also battled a lat injury in 2025. He has two years left of team control.
The plan moving forward
It would seem as if the Red Sox are done with their offseason shopping for pitching, as the rotation appears to be some combination of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Patrick Sandoval, Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early.
Sandoval missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery and it's likely that neither him nor Oviedo can take on a full season's workload.
About Garcia
The 22-year-old made his debut this past season, playing in just five games and hitting .143. A powerful slugger, he hit .267 in Double-A and Triple-A with 21 home runs and 75 RBIs. He could start for Pittsburgh right from day one.
What this means for Boston
Well, the Red Sox have alleviated some of their roster issues with this move. Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela are now four outfielders for three spots. The designated hitter spot still exists, with Masataka Yoshida in that role, for now. If they can trade or drop Yoshida's contract (2 years, $36 million), then that leaves room to keep each of the four main outfielders, who are all useful players.
About the others
Travieso was not in the Top 30 prospects for the Red Sox while neither return piece was in the Top 30 for the Pirates. Samaniego is a 26-year-old lefty who is yet to make his major league debut. He went 3-3 with a 3.99 ERA in 30 minor league appearances in 2025, reaching as high as Double-A (20 appearances).
Guzman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 draft out of the University of Arizona. He played in just one minor league game after getting drafted.
We will have much more on this deal throughout the day on Friday as the Red Sox look to improve upon a third-place finish in the American League East.
The winter meetings begin on Sunday.
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