Breaking Down Pirates’ Prospect Haul from Red Sox Trade
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first big move of the offseason, landing two prospects that they hope will turn into everyday-MLB ready players.
Pirates Make First Trade of Offseason
The Pirates and Boston Red Sox completed a five-player trade on Dec. 4, which the Pirates sent right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman for outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and right-handed pitcher Jesus Travieso.
Pittsburgh hasn't made any other trades nor signed any free agents, so this serves as the first move of what should be many this offseason.
What Pirates Get in Jhostynxon Garcia
Jhostynxon Garcia, whose first name is pronounced "JOES-tin-son", also holds the nickname, "The Password", due to the interesting nature of how his first name is spelt.
Garcia 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.
Garcia 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.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Batting Average | .271 |
On-Base Percentage | .334 |
Slugging Percentage | .498 |
OPS | .832 |
Hits | 86 |
Runs Scored | 60 |
Doubles | 12 |
Triples | 3 |
Home Runs | 18 |
RBI | 58 |
Walks | 27 |
Strikeouts | 102 |
Garcia 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.
He 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.
Garcia also can play all three outfield positions, but features mostly in center field, then at right field and a little bit in left field. This gives the Pirates options on where to put him, but also could serve as a backup for Oneil Cruz, putting him at designated hitter at times too.
While there are great things about his game, Garcia does have a high strikeout rate, 24.0% in 2024 and increasing to 30.1% this past season.
This comes from him going for power, which obviously comes with its risks, strikeouts, and also rewards, home runs.
He also struggles with offspeed pitches, with a whiff rate of 43.75% on the changeup and 43.69% on the slider, but does do better with higher velocity pitches, like the fastball and sinker.
Garcia is 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 Garcia 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.
Garcia did make his MLB debut with the Red Sox last season, but only played in five games and went 1-for-7 from the plate.
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.
Garcia 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.
What the Pirates Get in Jesus Travieso
Travieso signed with the Red Sox on Jan. 15, 2024 out of Higuerote, Venezuela for $10,000 and spent that season pitching in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) for Red Sox Blue.
He finished with an 0-3 record in 11 starts, a 3.80 ERA over 21 and 1/3 innings pitched, 27 strikeouts to 10 walks, a .238 opposing batting average and a 1.36 WHIP.
Travieso made it over to the United States this past season, pitching with both the Florida Complex League (FCL) Red Sox and then to Single-A Salem.
Stat | FCL | Single-A |
|---|---|---|
Record | 1-3 | 2-0 |
Starts/Appearances | 10/12 | 6/7 |
ERA | 2.77 | 3.51 |
Innings Pitched | 39.0 | 25.2 |
Strikeouts | 52 | 38 |
Walks | 25 | 11 |
BAA | .194 | .287 |
WHIP | 1.31 | 1.64 |
Travieso stands just 5-foot-11, 140 pounds, but has a great arm and possesses great velocity for someone who turns just 19 years old next season.
His four-seam fastball sits around 97 to 99 mph and can reach up to 100+ mph, that "fills the zone with a variety of shapes," according to Rosenthal.
Travieso also possesses a slider that he relies on a great deal, doing well against right-handed betters, but less so vs. left-handed batters.
7 strikeouts in 4.2 scoreless innings for Jesus Travieso. pic.twitter.com/osZ4QsxlYz
— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) August 20, 2025
Where Travieso Projects for the Pirates in 2026
Travieso turns just 19 years old in March and will likely start with Single-A Bradenton next season, which is the best place for him to begin 2026.
If he continues developing his fastball, adds another pitch to his arsenal, potentially developing his changeup, he could earn a spot at High-A Greensboro if all things go well.
There's still risk for him at just 5-foot-11 and the injuries that may come along, but he's a solid add in a trade where the Pirates already got their main man in Garcia.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.