Red Sox Hurler Tabbed for Breakout Season After Trade From Pirates

The most underrated move of the offseason?

Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A hat and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) on the field against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A lot of new faces joined the Boston Red Sox in spring training this year, and some of them will need to step up in a major way to get this team back to the playoffs.

Ranger Suárez and Sonny Gray have gotten most of the attention on the pitchers' side, while Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin were the marquee names of the new position players. But one ESPN expert believes the newcomer with the best chance arrived in a December trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That player is, of course, righty Johan Oviedo, who Boston gave up top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to acquire for the final two years of his arbitration eligibility.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

How good can Johan Oviedo be?

Mar 2, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Johan Oviedo (29) looks on in the dugout during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel named Oviedo as his "breakout player" for the Red Sox this year, and claimed there was a solid chance that the 27-year-old would outperform his projected No. 5 spot in the rotation, which would set Boston's group up to torment opposing lineups.

"Oviedo was acquired from the Pirates in the offseason Jhostynxon Garcia trade and is slated to start the season in the Boston rotation," wrote McDaniel.

"With top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early in Triple-A waiting for a spot, Oviedo will need to perform. He has a very good chance to be a reliable No. 3/No. 4 starter, which is a notch or two better than most are expecting."

We're still learning what Oviedo's arsenal truly looks like in his first full season after Tommy John surgery. His fastball had much better carry through the zone in his 40 2/3 innings for the Pirates last year than it did in 2023, and it's flashed that same carry at times in spring training.

The odds of Oviedo winning the No. 5 job probably don't need to be questioned much anymore, assuming the big righty stays healthy for his last spring training tune-ups.

From here on out, it's about hitting the ground running from day one of the regular season, and if Oviedo does that, the Red Sox could legitimately have the best rotation in the game.