The Crimson Sox and Pirates made a roster-balancing deal Thursday night time as a prologue to Winter Conferences, with a five-player swap headlined by outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (who heads to Pittsburgh) and pitchers Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego (who head to Boston). Right here’s the whole commerce:
Pittsburgh receives:OF Jhostynxon GarciaRHP Jesus Travieso
Boston receives:RHP Johan OviedoLHP Tyler SamaniegoC Adonys Guzman
The broad strokes of the deal are simple to digest as a result of it’s a well-known chorus for current Pirates trades. Pittsburgh has lately been profitable creating pitching to the purpose the place the group has one thing of a surplus, however it has struggled to do the identical with hitters. Badly. The Pirates have the worst wOBA in baseball since 2020 and have completed at or close to the underside of the league in crew offense yearly. Their finest end when it comes to crew wOBA for the reason that pandemic-shortened season was twenty third in 2023. Lots of the mid-level and marginal trades the Pirates have made over the last couple of years have been an effort to vary that – Spencer Horwitz, Nick Yorke, Billy Prepare dinner, and so on. – and this deal is not any exception. Whether or not it’s going to work, whether or not Garcia will likely be an efficient offensive participant or not, I’ll get to momentarily.
Conversely, the Crimson Sox (nonetheless) have extra outfielders than they know what to do with, to the purpose the place Ceddanne Rafaela, who is among the finest outfield defenders on the planet, is at the moment projected to be their beginning second baseman. Boston’s participant improvement machine beneath Craig Breslow seems to be well-oiled. It is smart for them to show two gamers into three, after which apply their dev methods to these guys, particularly when doing so clears a few of their outfield logjam and provides to their pitching depth.
Let’s speak in regards to the gamers individually. Garcia, who’s by some means nonetheless hilariously listed at 163 kilos on his participant web page, is a really bodily and toolsy 22-year-old middle fielder with a ferocious swing, however a regarding urge for food for chase. He has spectacular energy to the other area hole, which he typically must entry as a result of his swing’s size ceaselessly makes it powerful for him to tug fastballs, particularly once they’re positioned decrease within the zone. Garcia slashed .276/.340/.470 in a 2025 season spent largely at Triple-A Worcester, the place his Ok% leapt to 29%. He posted a sub-70% contact charge, partly as a result of he struggles to acknowledge sliders and lay off elevated fastballs. His chase charges – that are particularly unhealthy in opposition to fastballs and explode to over 50% with two strikes – are a ruby crimson flag of volatility.
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Whereas Garcia’s instruments are sufficiently big that I anticipate he’ll have some productive power-hitting seasons, chase like this is a sign of year-to-year (in all probability week-to-week) variability in his efficiency. The Rafaela, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Michael Harris II varieties present us yearly that guys who swing at every little thing run cold and warm for lengthy stretches. These are three elite defenders who discover a strategy to impression video games even once they’re mired in a protracted hunch. Garcia is speedy sufficient to play middle area, however his ball abilities are unexceptional and he’s extra of a 45- or 50-grade defender on the market. As such, I’ve Garcia within the 45+ FV tier, which implies I feel he’ll produce like extra of a below-average common in middle while you take a look at his stats throughout a multi-year pattern, however that he’ll in all probability have a pair peak seasons in there the place his manufacturing is above common.
Jhostynxon’s nickname (The Password) is excellent, however I worry it loses a few of its juice in a metropolis the place sports activities followers needed to spell “Fuamatu-Maʻafala” and “Kasparaitis” for stretches of my childhood.
It is a worthy gamble for the Pirates, they want somebody who has an opportunity to provide a 20-plus-homer season or three throughout their six years of crew management, and whereas Garcia may need some stinkers combined in, he initiatives to do precisely that. It’s possible that the one approach Garcia will be capable to modify to huge league stuff and grow to be extra selective is thru publicity, which now he’ll nearly assuredly get with the Pirates, in all probability straight away. It could have taken a slew of accidents for that to occur in Boston.
The Pirates additionally obtained a hard-throwing teenage (possible) aid prospect in Jesus Travieso, who labored 64 innings throughout 19 appearances (16 begins) on the Crimson Sox advanced and A-ball rosters in 2025 and posted a 3.06 ERA. He brings critical warmth for an 18-year-old. He’ll contact 100 and be parked round 95 for as many as 5 innings at a time. He leans extra on his mid-80s slider to throw strikes, dumping them into the highest of the zone to get forward earlier than attempting to tear his fastball previous hitters on the belt and above.
Travieso’s measurement and high-effort supply are bullpen indicators. He’s 5-foot-11, of slim construct, and has a short-striding supply depending on trunk tilt and arm velocity to generate all that velo. He’s a pleasant, younger pitching prospect who has some probability to be a late-inning reliever down the highway, although a middle-inning end result is extra possible.
The Crimson Sox obtained again Johan Oviedo, a giant Cuban righty who got here up by means of the Cardinals system and debuted as a reliever there earlier than he was despatched to Pittsburgh in 2022 as a part of the Jose Quintana commerce. The Pirates tried to upcycle Oviedo right into a starter and it form of labored in 2023, however he has missed a lot of the previous two seasons as a consequence of a number of accidents. At his finest, Oviedo will pitch with comfortably plus breaking stuff and a fastball that performs beneath its uncooked mid-90s velocity. It’s honest to wonder if the Crimson Sox can coax one other gear out of him (they have an inclination to max out the pitchers they purchase), however extra possible Oviedo is within the combine for lower-leverage aid responsibility.
Each Oviedo and lefty Tyler Samaniego are pretty more likely to play a job on Boston’s pitching workers in 2026, with Samaniego occupying a lefty specialist spot. He spent two years at a junior faculty earlier than transferring to South Alabama, the place he barely pitched due to the pandemic. The Pirates turned him right into a prospect, however he has missed a lot of the final couple of seasons with harm. He has a free, misleading supply and was throwing more durable this 12 months than prior to now, extra typically within the 92-96 mph vary.
Samaniego’s really feel for touchdown his slider within the zone is significantly better than his means to find it for chase, so he deviates from the everyday lefty specialist mildew on this regard. His arm velocity as soon as portended changeup enchancment, which could nonetheless occur although he’s 26, as a result of this man hasn’t pitched a ton for a prospect of his age. Till that occurs, he appears like a high-floored, lower-leverage reliever who’ll spend most of 2026 in Worcester.
Lastly, lately drafted Arizona catcher Adonys Guzman has been a private cheeseball of mine since he was in highschool. He’s a cumbersome backup catching prospect who can actually throw, and he likes to snipe baserunners wandering too far off the bag. He lower his strikeout charge in half, to 11%, after transferring from Boston Faculty to U of A, however I don’t anticipate him to provide like a main catcher.
In summation, this commerce provides instant depth to Boston’s main league pitching workers by way of Oviedo and Samaniego. Oviedo’s well being is a variable that’s powerful to manage for and perceive from our viewpoint. If he’s reinserted right into a aid function and may pitch like he did in St. Louis proper earlier than he was traded, he’ll be a strong middle-inning addition for the Crimson Sox. Samaniego provides a left-handed presence to their 40-man roster that they lack amongst pure relievers. A lot of the southpaws there are guys I wish to see developed as starters for so long as doable, like Kyle Harrison. Whereas Jhostynxon Garcia is unquestionably probably the most proficient particular person on this commerce, I warning Pirates followers from pondering they’ve added a long-term star-level piece to their lineup. Garcia is thrilling however more likely to be streaky and irritating for lengthy stretches of time. If he’s the standard of participant I feel he’ll be, he’s nonetheless a significant improve.
