Red Sox 27-Year-Old Starter Will Surprise In 2026

Much has been said about the Boston Red Sox this offseason, but there is one move that has seemingly gone under the radar.

Any time the Red Sox get brought up, what's seemingly talked about is the team's two trades with the St. Louis Cardinals for Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, or moves the club hasn't made, like missing on Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman being available in free agency.

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One move that hasn't been talked about much, but should be is the team's acquisition of Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Oviedo isn't a household name yet. He's 27 years old and has made just nine total starts over the last two years because he missed the 2024 campaign. But this guy has a chance to be very good. He had a 3.57 ERA in 2025 in his nine starts for Pittsburgh and clearly the Red Sox think highly of him, otherewise they wouldn't have traded outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia.

The Red Sox made a very good move

The perception of him in the media is high as well. For example, MLB.com dropped one predicton for each team in 2026 and Ian Browne predicted that Oviedo will be the "surprise" of the rotation.

"Red Sox: Johan Oviedo will be the surprise of the pitching staff," Browne wrote. "When the Red Sox traded power-hitting prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pirates in December in what felt like an underwhelming package to some, the answers were under the hood. Boston’s brain trust sees a lot of upside in the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Oviedo, who has elite extension that makes him difficult for hitters to pick up.

"As outlined in a recent piece by MLB.com's Mike Petriello, Oviedo gained an impressive amount of rise on his fastball in his return from Tommy John surgery. In chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s regime in Boston, the Red Sox have been adept at maximizing pitch mixes. Oviedo could be the latest success story."

Oviedo isn't a household name yet, but he will be. He had solid numbers in a small sample size in 2025 and his advanced metrics were elite. He finished in the 98th percentile in extension and will have plenty of opportunities in 2026 if he can stay healthy.

Of all of the noise of the offseason, the Oviedo trade hasn't gotten very little buzz. But that very well could change in just a few months' time.

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