The Boston Red Sox front office is sending mixed signals, and their latest trade is the most puzzling one yet. Craig Breslow has thrown a curveball with the team’s latest trade for a hard-throwing power pitcher. Now, the community is wondering: is this a brilliant pivot or a sign of a confused front office?

Breslow has sent outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and right-handed pitching prospect Jesus Travieso to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In return, they’ve landed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, along with prospects Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman. While the trade clearly included several pieces, most of the attention is on the Oviedo-for-Garcia swap.

Garcia, The Password, is a high-risk player who has hit .267/.340/.470 with 21 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this year. However, that performance came with a 131/45 strikeout-to-walk ratio, including a high chase rate, especially after his Triple-A promotion. The soon-to-be 23-year-old can be 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.

Boston, moving on from one of the more intriguing upside swings in the lower levels of the system, whose collection of tools earned him the rank of No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox system, has sparked only doubts. Plus, most importantly, Garcia has been healthy throughout,

Meanwhile, they recently acquired Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, with Johan Oviedo’s addition, the speculations have grown about what exactly Boston is trying to pull with this rotation.

Johan Oviedo couldn’t be more different from Sonny Gray, apart from both being right-handers.

Oviedo is a 6-foot-6, 275-pound power pitcher who can hit 98 mph. Gray, on the other hand, is 5-foot-10 and relies more on finesse than velocity. Gray has remained relatively healthy, but Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

And while Gray consistently attacks the strike zone, Oviedo has long struggled with control. In his nine starts in 2025, he averaged 5.1 walks per nine innings.

We’ve seen Oviedo mostly lean on a fastball–slider combo, with a curveball and changeup that he uses primarily against the lefties. Back in 2023, during his first full season as a starter in Pittsburgh, he made 32 starts, posting a 4.31 ERA and 2.2 WAR. Those numbers made him a league-average starter.

It almost feels impossible that Garcia and Gray will complement each other.

The Red Sox’s rotation is suddenly looking crowded. Oviedo will join all those who could be competing for spots, including Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Brayan Bello, and possibly a few top pitching prospects.

But while Breslow’s moves create questions on the mound, the front office is also reportedly looking to add more certainty in the infield, with their eyes on a Diamondbacks All-Star.

The Red Sox are reportedly interested in trading for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte

The Red Sox have searched for every possible way to upgrade their roster. And according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the next name on their radar is Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.

Marte is essentially a backup option if the Red Sox can’t bring back Alex Bregman or land free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette.

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The 32-year-old is one of the best second basemen in the game. Since 2019, he ranks third in fWAR and second in overall offensive production among players at his position.

As of now, the Diamondbacks are reportedly open to listening to offers for Ketel Marte. For the record, he has been with the team for nine years.

Except for the Red Sox, the Phillies and Blue Jays have also reached out to see what it might take to land him.