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Feb 18, 2025; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (91) participates in media day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pirates Receive Winning Grade in Trade with Red Sox

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 1:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first big move of the offseason, which MLB insiders and national writers had good things to say about.

The Pirates traded right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, along with left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman, to the Boston Red Sox for top 100 outfield prospect Jhostynxon García and right-handed pitching prospect Jesus Travieso on Dec. 4.

Many focused on Oviedo and García and which return was better, with the Pirates receiving favorable reviews on the trade.

Pirates Receive "Winning" Grade for Trade with Red Sox

David Schoenfield of ESPN reviewed the trade and gave the Pirates a "B+" for landing García and the Red Sox a "B-" for landing Oviedo.

Schoenfield named García as a high-risk player, but a chance the Pirates need to take to improve their lineup for the future. He also sees García as an "above-average" defender in right field, even though García has played most of his time in the minor leagues in center field.

"Garcia could turn into an above-average starter if he improves his chase or could be more of a fourth outfielder with a sub-.300 OBP if he doesn't," Schoenfield wrote.

"The Pirates, of course, haven't exactly excelled at turning prospects into good hitters (see Cruz's regression in 2025), so odds are Garcia probably swings more to the latter scenario. But he's a nice return for two years of Oviedo."

Cristopher Kline of FanSided sees it as a risk for both teams, but that the Pirates edge out the Red Sox, just due to the potential that García has, also giving the Pirates a "B+" grade and the Red Sox a "B-" trade.

"García needs to clean up his approach, like all young players, but he hits with power and has the chance to elevate this Pittsburgh lineup at a position of need," Kline wrote. "As things presently stand, he would join Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz in the outfield, presumably in one of the corner spots, where his agility and arm strength should lead to quality defense."

Keith Law of The Athletic didn't give a grade out for this trade, but praised the Pirates for making the deal.

Law views García as a player that has raw power and hits the ball hard, noting his 90th percentile exit velocity of 105 mph in Triple A.

"I see a floor of a 20-homer, sub-.300 OBP guy who plays above-average defense in right field, which is a player who starts for some teams but not all," Law wrote. "The ceiling is an All-Star, though, depending on whether the Pirates can continue the work the Red Sox did with tightening his approach."

Law also doesn't care much for Oviedo, naming him a "one-trick pony" and not seeing him as any more than a fifth starting pitcher in the Red Sox rotation.

What Makes García a Strong Addition for the Pirates

García joins the Pirates as a top 100 prospect in baseball, with MLB Pipeline ranking him 85th overall, which places him as the sixth-best prospect in the Pirates' farm system.

He possesses great power and is coming off of 23 home runs in 2024 and 21 home runs this past season.

García slashed .267/.340/.470 for an OPS of .810 in 114 games across Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, but his best play came in the 88 games at Triple-A in 2025, where he hit 18 home runs and slashed .271/.334/.498 for an OPS of .832.

He has a beautiful swing that sees him open up his body and crush balls in the zone, punishing pitchers for leaving balls for him to send out for a home run.

García does tend to pull the ball for a right-handed batter, but this works well in PNC Park, which is deeper in right-center field than it is closer to the foul pole.

He will also play all outfield positions, where he could serve as backup for Cruz in center field, or find playing time in either right field or left field.

García is also solid against both right-handed pitching and left-handed pitching. He slashed .268/.339/.461 for an OPS of .800 against righties and .246/.348/.509 for an OPS of .857 against lefties.

Where He Projects for the Pirates in 2026

The Pirates are giving García a shot to make the team out of Spring Training, but won't rush him and will allow him to develop at Triple-A Indianapolis if needed, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

He turns 23 years old in a week and is coming off a strong season in Triple-A, that saw him make the Futures Game.

The Pirates do need a left fielder for next season, with Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field. The only other option currently is Jack Suwinski or potentially Marco Luciano, who they got off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

García has a good future ahead of him, and if he makes the strides necessary in Spring Training, he could end up on the Opening Day roster.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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