Alex Cora Hints Red Sox's Hidden Gem From Pirates Trade Will Arrive Soon

The extra lefty this bullpen needs?

Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

At first glance, it looks like the Boston Red Sox turned a surplus of left-handed relievers from last season into a borderline shortage.

Gone are Steven Matz, Brennan Bernardino, Justin Wilson, and Chris Murphy. Suddenly, the only lefty returner who had five or more relief appearances last season is American League Reliever of the Year Aroldis Chapman.

Though it appears southpaw Jovani Morán is ticketed for a bullpen spot to begin the season, it would still be fair for fans to worry about the depth of southpaws. But manager Alex Cora doesn't want those fans to forget about a sneaky trade pickup.

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Don't forget about Tyler Samaniego, Sox fans

On Tuesday, Cora praised lefty Tyler Samaniego, one of the pieces the Red Sox got in the Johan Oviedo-Jhostynxon Garcia trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and suggested that even if he's not on the opening day roster, the 27-year-old will play an important role this year.

“That’s a good fastball from the left side,” said Cora, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. “He has an angle and a sinker to them. He’s still young, but I was waiting for him to get out there.

"He pitched for Andy (Fox, former Red Sox first base coach) last year at Double A, and when we traded for him, Andy called me right away and said, ‘Hey man, this guy is going to be a big leaguer.’ When, we don’t know, but he’s going to contribute at one point.”

Samaniego has yet to debut in the majors, but Cora's comments above were part of a larger discussion of which relievers were in contention for the final two or three spots in the bullpen for opening day.

Following a season in which he struck out 44 batters in 38 1/3 innings in the minors, Samaniego has everything to prove against major league competition. But given the aforementioned lack of established lefties, it should be expected at this point that he'll get that chance to debut in the big leagues soon enough.