Johan Oviedo Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
Red Sox manager Alex Cora informed reporters today that right-hander Johan Oviedo has been diagnosed with a flexor strain. He has avoided surgery but will be shut down from throwing for six weeks. Chris Cotillo of MassLive was among those to relay the details of the situation.
“Thankfully, (the ligament) is really strong right now,” Oviedo said of his own arm. “It’s just the things that are around it, all the little muscles are what’s getting damaged right now. Still, it’s not what you want. You don’t want anything to get to this, but it’s just the case right now. No one wants to get hurt but it’s better to get rest and heal from it than actually going through a surgery or anything like it. We’re positive about it.”
As Oviedo himself outlined, it is good news, in a sense. He required Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2023 and missed the following season, in addition to part of the 2025 campaign. He started this season with diminished velocity and then landed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain. If his ulnar collateral ligament had required another operation, it would have put him on the shelf for another year-plus.
Relative to that scenario, this is a welcome development, though it’s still quite notable. Even if he is fully recovered after six weeks of not throwing, he’ll then have to ramp back up, effectively starting spring training from scratch. Even in a best-case scenario, he’s probably looking at something in the range of a three-month recovery timeline.
In the short term, the Red Sox have a good on-paper rotation without him. They currently have Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, Connelly Early and Brayan Bello taking the ball every five days. Both Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford are making rehab starts this week and should be back in the mix soon. Prospect Payton Tolle is pitching in Triple-A. The rotation numbers haven’t been great so far, contributing to the club’s grim 3-8 start, but the results should be better going forward.
Still, it’s a less than ideal outcome. The Sox made Oviedo a key piece of their offseason. They traded a couple of prospects, including Jhostynxon García, for a three-player package headlined by Oviedo. At the time, Oviedo had just come off his surgery absence but showed some promise by posting a 3.57 earned run average with the Pirates in 2025. The Sox decided to jump on him, with Oviedo having two years of club control at the time of that deal. He will now miss a decent chunk of the first of those two years.
Turning to another part of the roster, Triston Casas appears to have hit another unfortunate speed bump. Casas recently tried swinging and Cora said it “didn’t go well,” per Cotillo. Casas began the season on the injured list, still recovering from last year’s knee surgery. About a week ago, a strained left intercostal muscle added to his woes. Thanks to those injuries and some torn cartilage in his ribcage in 2024, Casas has only played in 92 games since the end of the 2023 campaign.
The Sox don’t really need Casas for now, as they have Willson Contreras at first base. The designated hitter spot is being used to spread playing time between outfielders Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida. But getting Casas back to full health would give the Sox some coverage for the event of someone else getting injured, or perhaps allow them to make a midseason trade.
Casas hit 24 homers in 2023 and slashed .263/.367/.490 for a 131 wRC+. He is under club control through 2028. He’s in wait-and-see mode until he gets back into game action and it’s unclear when that will be.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Red Sox Place Johan Oviedo On Injured List, Recall Tyler Uberstine For MLB Debut
TODAY: Oviedo will visit Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday, Cora told Christopher Smith and other reporters. Meister performed Oviedo’s previous Tommy John surgery.
APRIL 3: The Red Sox announced a slate of roster moves Friday morning, including an ominous 15-day IL placement for right-hander Johan Oviedo, who’s been diagnosed with a right elbow strain. Right-hander Tyler Uberstine has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester and will be making his major league debut whenever he first gets into a game. Boston also placed righty Garrett Whitlock on the paternity list, where he can spend a maximum of three days. Right-hander Zack Kelly has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Oviedo, 28, came to Boston in the offseason trade that sent touted outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to Pittsburgh. He was terrific through four spring starts (11 1/3 innings, two runs on eight hits and six walks with 14 strikeouts) before being tagged for six runs in his final spring tune-up. Oviedo’s official Red Sox debut was ugly, however; the Astros tagged him for four runs on six hits (including a pair of homers) and a walk in 3 2/3 innings of long relief.
More alarming than the bottom-line results was the pronounced decline in Oviedo’s velocity. He’s averaged better than 95 mph on his four-seamer in his big league career and sat 94.4 mph this spring as he built up for the season. His fastball averaged 93 mph flat in that outing against Houston. Oviedo’s velocity on all of his pitches was down across the board. Manager Alex Cora said after the game that the team was confident Oviedo was healthy (link via MassLive’s Christopher Smith).
“We had a conversation with him today and there’s a few things that the pitching department has noticed,” Cora said at the time, seemingly implying that the issue was mechanical rather than physical. Clearly, the team’s thinking has changed. Cora said this morning that Oviedo has undergone both x-rays and an MRI (via Ari Alexander of 7News). The MRI results are being compared to prior MRIs.
The Sox have yet to provide further updates on Oviedo. That the injury is termed a “strain” (indicating it pertains to a muscle or tendon) rather than a “sprain” (pertaining to a ligament) is perhaps a reason for some cautious optimism, though flexor tendon strains frequently require lengthy absences in their own right. Until the team provides further updates, all that’s known is that Oviedo will be shelved for at least the next 12 days. (IL stints can be backdated up to three days, so long as the player has not appeared in a game in that time; Oviedo last pitched on March 30.) It bears mentioning that Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season and much of the 2025 campaign due to Tommy John surgery performed in December of 2023.
Uberstine, 26, was added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this past November. He pitched 120 2/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A last season, striking out 26.9% of his opponents against an 8% walk rate. He’s worked in a variety of roles during his climb through the minors, pitching as a starter, as part of a piggyback tandem, in long relief and in short relief.
Back in February, the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey took a look at Uberstine’s remarkable journey to simply end up in pro ball. Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes did the same last August. Uberstine was barely used on his high school team, was turned away from both the club team and actual D-I team at USC as a sophomore, and wound up transferring to Northwestern simply hoping to land a spot on the fringe of the roster, as he’d missed being part of a team during his early time in college. Uberstine posted a 5.90 ERA in his final season at Northwestern and was the Red Sox’ 19th-round pick in 2021, signing for a $97K bonus. Fans of any club will want to check out those pieces from Healey and Pontes for a look at the determination that led to this morning’s promotion for Uberstine.
Red Sox Notes: Casas, Rotation, Monasterio
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is working his way back from last year’s knee injury but his path may be delayed. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe was among those to relay today that Casas has a strained left intercostal muscle. He’ll be shut down from hitting for a few days as the Sox see how he progresses.
It’s been a frustrating few years for Casas on the health front. Torn cartilage in his ribcage limited him to 63 games in 2024. He only got into 29 games last year before rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee, an injury that he’s still working back from. At this point, there’s nothing to suggest this latest injury is serious, but it’s not as though Casas needs another bump in the road.
Given all his injury troubles, the Sox decided not to rely on him for 2026. They acquired Willson Contreras to cover first base. That means there’s no strict rush to get Casas back but he would ideally be on the field as soon as possible to get some reps and get back in game shape. He slashed .253/.365/.477 for a 129 wRC+ over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
It’s unclear how the Sox will proceed once Casas is back. In addition to having Contreras at first, they have a crowded designated hitter spot as they try to spread playing time around to outfielders Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida. Casas could be optioned to the minors to serve as depth or perhaps put on the trade block if there’s no room for him in the big leagues. Decision day will come at some point but this latest injury provides another delay.
Turning to the rotation, left-hander Patrick Sandoval will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, per Healey. Sandoval hasn’t pitched in a big league game since June of 2024, almost two years ago. He required surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament that year and then was non-tendered by the Angels. The Red Sox gave him a two-year, $18.25MM deal but didn’t get him back on the mound last year and he’s still recovering.
Rehab assignments for pitchers are normally capped at 30 days. However, when a pitcher is recovering from UCL surgery, a ten-day extension can be given a maximum of three times. That effectively means Sandoval could potentially be rehabbing for 60 days.
Time will tell how much rotation space the Sox have for Sandoval when he’s ready to return. They currently have a rotation consisting of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, Brayan Bello and Connelly Early, with Johan Oviedo having pitched in long relief a couple of days ago. Payton Tolle is on optional assignment and could earn a spot in that mix.
Speaking of Oviedo, he allowed four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his one outing so far this year, with diminished velocity. Manager Alex Cora downplayed any possibility of Oviedo being injured, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “We had a conversation with him today and there’s a few things that the pitching department has noticed,” Cora said. “And just gotta keep working. That’s the most important thing. Obviously with his injuries in the past, something that we have to be very careful in this new role. But I think he’s gonna be OK.”
As Smith points out, Oviedo does have an option remaining and could be sent to the minors if the Sox so choose. That might be a bit of an awkward conversation, as Oviedo was a key offseason pick-up for them. The Sox acquired him from the Pirates with Jhostynxon García being the main piece going the other way, though that was before Suárez was signed.
Turning back to the position player mix, Healey relays that infielder Andruw Monasterio has been doing some outfield work lately to see if can be a viable option out there. His outfield track record currently consists of just four innings in left field. The Sox don’t really need outfield help with their aforementioned crowded group but extra versatility could always come in handy in the event of an injury or a late-game substitution.
Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images
Red Sox Option Payton Tolle; Connelly Early To Break Camp
The Red Sox will carry one of their two top left-handed pitching prospects on the Opening Day roster. Boston optioned Payton Tolle to minor league camp this evening, alongside righties Tyler Uberstine and Zack Kelly.
Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News reports that Connelly Early has been informed he’ll break camp. Chris Cotillo of MassLive adds that righty Johan Oviedo is also going to be on the active roster, leaving some questions about how the Sox will order their rotation.
Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray are lined up for the first two games of their opening series in Cincinnati. Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are expected to start the first two games of next week’s set in Houston, so one of Early or Oviedo will start on Sunday against the Reds. If the Red Sox don’t want to run a six-man rotation, they could use an Early/Oviedo tandem start or have the latter work out of the bullpen to begin the year.
Early and Tolle each debuted late last season. Tolle throws a bit harder and places a little more highly on most prospect rankings. Early found more small sample success and was tabbed to start Game 3 of last fall’s Wild Card Series against the Yankees. Both pitchers showed well this spring. Early struck out 16 while allowing only four runs (three earned) over 17 innings. Tolle fanned 13 opponents across 10 2/3 frames of three-run ball.
Oviedo, acquired from the Pirates over the offseason in a trade built around rookie outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, pitched 11 1/3 innings of two-run ball this spring. He struck out 14 but struggled with his command, issuing six walks and hitting a batter. Oviedo entered camp as the favorite for the fifth starter role after turning in a 3.57 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate over nine starts last year. He had missed all of 2024 and the first half of ’25 due to Tommy John surgery and a subsequent lat injury.
Early and Tolle are each rookie eligible and meet the prospect criteria for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Unless the Sox recall Tolle within the first couple weeks of the season, they wouldn’t be able to net a draft choice if he wins Rookie of the Year. Early could land the Sox a pick if he holds his MLB roster spot all year and pitches well enough to meet the awards threshold: a Rookie of the Year win or top three Cy Young finish within his first three seasons.
Details On The Mets’ Offseason Pursuits
The Mets’ offseason has seen a bevy of major names both coming and going off the roster, and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman provides a nice breakdown of both the team’s moves and some of the behind-the-scenes plans (or backup plans) that went into these transactions. Sherman’s piece also details some free agent and trade candidates who hadn’t been previously cited as Mets targets, including Ranger Suarez, Ryan Weathers, Johan Oviedo, and Pirates hurlers Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft.
New York’s trade for Freddy Peralta earlier this week helped the Mets finally secure the frontline rotation help they’d been seeking all winter, which helped because many of the other pitchers the team was exploring had already changed teams. The Yankees acquired Weathers from the Marlins two weeks ago, the Red Sox landed Oviedo from the Pirates in early December, and Suarez signed with the Red Sox last week as well on a five-year, $130MM contract.
That type of long-term deal for a pitcher was thought to be outside of the Mets’ comfort zone, as multiple reports indicated that the team preferred shorter-term arrangements when trying to find rotation help. The same was largely true of the Mets’ position-player pursuits, as the team offered Kyle Tucker four years and $220MM, and then landed Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126MM deal with two player opt-out clauses. If Bichette hadn’t signed and Suarez had remained available, Sherman wrote that the Mets “would have pivoted to try to upgrade the rotation with a willingness to do the five years at $130 million Boston did.”
It’s an example of how the offseason can be a series of sliding doors, with a team’s priorities quickly changing when other teams start making moves and various star players leave the board. Bichette himself wasn’t even known to be a Mets target until the eleventh hour, as missing out on Tucker led the Mets to quickly turn to Bichette and snatch him away from an almost-finalized agreement with the Phillies. And, as it turned out, the Mets ended up landing their desired ace in inexpensive fashion in terms of money (Peralta is owed $8MM in 2026 before entering free agency next winter), but at the hefty trade cost of noted prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams.
Prying Bichette away from the Phillies may have provided some measure of revenge for the Mets after their unsuccessful pursuit of Kyle Schwarber. New York was known to have interest in Schwarber’s services, and Sherman noted that the Mets “were much deeper in on him than previously publicly known.” It was widely expected that Schwarber would re-sign with the Phils and he indeed rejoined the club for five years and $150MM. As interested as the Mets were, Sherman wrote that they “perceived they would have to beat [five years/$150MM] by a good deal to get him to leave Philadelphia,” so the Amazins backed off.
The Mets had plenty of talks with the Marlins about Edward Cabrera before Cabrera was dealt to the Cubs, so it isn’t surprising that Weathers’ name was also brought up in those discussions. Sherman reported that 8-10 teams had interest in Weathers, and it ended up being the Yankees (another Cabrera suitor) who landed the southpaw for a four-prospect package.
It was no secret that the Pirates were looking to upgrade their lineup this offseason, and with a surplus of arms on the roster, the assumption was that Pittsburgh would look to move starting pitching for some bats. The five-player deal that sent Oviedo to Boston brought back Jhostynxon Garcia as a young outfielder who can help the Bucs as early as 2026, and Mike Burrows was traded to the Astros as part of the three-team swap with the Rays that brought Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh.
With Oviedo and Burrows gone, the Pirates have probably closed the door on further pitching trades, as GM Ben Cherington has said the team would now be open to adding a bit of rotation depth, if anything. Chandler (one of baseball’s top pitching prospects) and Ashcraft (a former second-round pick) each made their MLB debuts in 2025 and look to be part of the Pirates rotation both this season and for years to come, if everything pans out.
Sherman said the Mets “extensively” discussed Chandler, Ashcraft, and Oviedo in negotiations with the Pirates, and it would be fascinating to know the specifics of those talks. Gauging by the Oviedo deal, the Bucs were presumably looking for controllable position-player talent, so any of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, or even top prospect Carson Benge might have been on the Pirates’ wish list. If Pittsburgh had looked for more of a veteran bat in the Lowe mold, Jeff McNeil (who was dealt to the A’s just before Christmas) might have been a fit, but it is hard to imagine the Pirates would’ve given up a significant MLB-ready pitcher for McNeil.
Red Sox, Pirates Swap Johan Oviedo And Jhostynxon García In Five-Player Trade
The Red Sox and Pirates announced a five-player trade on Thursday evening. Starter Johan Oviedo heads to Boston alongside lefty reliever Tyler Samaniego and minor league catcher Adonys Guzman. Pittsburgh gets rookie outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and A-ball pitching prospect Jesus Travieso. Boston needed to open a spot on the 40-man roster, so they designated righty Cooper Criswell for assignment. Pittsburgh’s roster count drops to 39.
Oviedo and Garcia are the centerpieces of the deal on either side. The 27-year-old Oviedo is a 6’6″ right-hander who has been a capable back-end starter since the Pirates acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline. He’d been a swingman with the Cardinals for his first couple seasons but has stepped into a full-time rotation role for the Bucs. Oviedo took the ball 32 times and ranked second on the team with 177 2/3 innings in 2023. He posted a 4.31 earned run average with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk rates.
While Oviedo stayed healthy throughout the ’23 season, he reported elbow soreness at year’s end. That proved a precursor to Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2024 campaign. Oviedo had a shot to return for the start of ’25 but suffered a lat strain while building up early in Spring Training. He was shut down for a few months and didn’t make his season debut until the beginning of August. He took the ball nine times down the stretch, turning in a 3.57 ERA over 40 1/3 innings.
Oviedo’s return was a mixed bag. He recorded a career-best 24.7% strikeout rate while getting whiffs at a solid 11.7% clip. The stuff looked as sharp as it’d been before his successive arm injuries. Oviedo averaged 95.5 MPH on his fastball and got good results on both an upper-80s slider and mid-70s curveball. The slider has been a plus pitch throughout his career and had a little more glove-side movement. His height also allows him to get more than seven feet of extension, so his already above-average velocity should play up.
While there are clearly things to like, Oviedo remains a work in progress. He walked three batters in seven of his nine starts, issuing free passes at an untenable 13.5% rate overall. That inefficiency kept him from working deep into games. Oviedo only once pitched into the sixth inning and didn’t complete six full frames in any appearance. It’s fair to expect some rust in his command after an 18-month absence, but throwing strikes has always been an issue. Oviedo routinely posted double-digit walk rates in the minors and issued free passes at a 10.6% rate over a full season in 2023.
The other question is whether he’ll be able to handle left-handed hitters. His changeup is a clear fourth pitch. Lefties managed a solid .244/.341/.436 line with 14 home runs in 419 plate appearances a couple years ago. Oviedo had much better results against lefties in 2025 (.151/.259/.301), but that came in a small sample with an unimpressive 19:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Oviedo has four-plus years of MLB service. He’s under arbitration control for two seasons and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2MM salary. He still has a minor league option remaining and doesn’t need to open the season on the active roster. He’ll cross the five-year service threshold when he logs another 93 days on the big league active roster or injured list. The Sox would no longer be able to send him to the minors without his consent at that point.
They hope that won’t be a consideration. They liked Oviedo enough to give up one of their top upper minors hitting talents, gambling that they can unlock another level of consistency in the process. That suggests he’s got a good chance to slot behind Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello in Alex Cora’s rotation. The Sox should welcome Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval back from injury. Prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early debuted late in the season, while former top prospect Kyle Harrison remains in the mix.
Garcia, 23 next week, should get everyday at-bats in Pittsburgh. He didn’t have a clear path to playing time in a crowded Boston outfield but projects as the starting left fielder for the Pirates. The right-handed hitter got a cup of coffee at Fenway Park last August, picking up a hit and two walks over nine plate appearances. He otherwise divided the season between the top two levels of the minor leagues.
Known for his excellent nickname “The Password,” Garcia combined for 21 home runs with a robust .267/.340/.470 batting line across 489 plate appearances. It’s strong bottom line production for a 22-year-old, though the Sox might have had concerns about his approach. The Venezuela native struck out at a 29.1% clip while chasing more than 35% of pitches outside the strike zone over his 81 Triple-A games. The pure hit tool is a red flag, but he has topped 20 homers in consecutive minor league seasons.
Baseball America credited Garcia with above-average power and bat speed in recently ranking him the #6 prospect in the Boston system. BA writes that Garcia is a serviceable defensive center fielder despite having only average speed. He’s probably better suited in the corner opposite Bryan Reynolds but could play up the middle on days when Oneil Cruz is unavailable.
The Pirates control Garcia for at least six seasons. He still has a pair of minor league options, so they could send him back to Triple-A without issue if his approach needs further refinement. There are some parallels to last winter’s acquisition of Spencer Horwitz and the 2024 Quinn Priester/Nick Yorke deadline swap (also with the Red Sox). Pittsburgh leverages their rotation depth for a controllable upper level bat. Garcia arguably has the highest ceiling of that trio, and this surely won’t be the only lineup addition of the winter for GM Ben Cherington and his staff.
While it’s mostly an Oviedo/Garcia framework, the teams also swapped a few prospects. Samaniego, who turns 27 in January, might factor into the Boston bullpen next season. The former 15th-round pick tossed 26 1/3 innings of 3.08 ERA ball at the Double-A level this year. He fanned 28% of opponents with a sub-6% walk rate. Pittsburgh selected him onto the 40-man roster last month to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He still has a full slate of options and is probably ticketed for Triple-A Worcester.
Guzman, who turned 22 today, was Pittsburgh’s fifth-round pick out of the University of Arizona over the summer. The right-handed hitting catcher has only played one game in Low-A. Baseball America credited him with plus arm strength and some power to left field in their draft report. He’s a long-term development play behind the dish.
The Pirates round out their side of the deal with Travieso. He’s an 18-year-old righty who signed with Boston as an amateur out of Venezuela in 2024. He’s listed at 5’11” and has yet to garner much prospect attention, but he struck out nearly 32% of opponents over seven games in Low-A late in the season.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the Red Sox and Pirates agreed to a five-player deal involving Oviedo and Garcia. Robert Murray of FanSided reported the full trade. Respective images courtesy of Charles Leclaire and Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images.
Pirates Interested In Kyle Schwarber, Showed Interest In Josh Naylor
Pirates GM Ben Cherington said last week that he had “more [financial] flexibility than we’ve had in other offseasons I’ve been in Pittsburgh,” and subsequent reports indicated that Bucs ownership could approach the $40MM mark with their spending plans this winter. This willingness to spend has translated to some early interest in two of the best hitters on the free agent market, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Pirates have interest in Kyle Schwarber, and also had interest in Josh Naylor before Naylor re-signed with the Mariners.
The exact nature of the Bucs’ talks with Naylor weren’t specified, yet Passan indicated that the Pirates were prepared to offer Naylor more than $78MM. This would’ve been, by a wide margin, the priciest free agent deal in Pirates history. Francisco Liriano‘s three-year, $39MM deal from December 2014 remains the biggest guarantee the perennially low-spending Buccos have ever given to a free agent.
Naylor re-upped with the Mariners for five years and $92.5MM. Beyond just the money, there was plenty of mutual interest between Naylor and the M’s in continuing their relationship, as evidenced by the fact that Naylor agreed to a new deal so soon after the free agent market opened. Seattle looks well-positioned to keep contending throughout Naylor’s tenure, so it likely would’ve taken a drastic overpay from the Pirates to convince him to leave the Mariners for a Pittsburgh club that has struggled through seven straight losing seasons.
Along these same lines, Schwarber is expected to receive plenty of offers from big-market contenders, including his former team in Philadelphia. MLB Trade Rumors projects Schwarber to receive a five-year, $135MM contract, even though he is entering his age-33 season and is essentially a DH-only player at this point in his career. Schwarber’s huge power, consistent production, and reputation as a clubhouse leader will very likely outweigh concerns about his age, and the Phillies (like the Mariners with Naylor) are prioritizing bringing Schwarber back into the fold.
This being said, the fact that Schwarber and Naylor are even being mentioned in connection to the Pirates is eye-opening, and perhaps indicative of how uncharacteristically aggressive Pittsburgh may be in trying to upgrade its lineup. While the Pirates have been rebuilding for the bulk of Cherington’s tenure, his last couple of offseasons have seen the GM spread out his limited spending capacity over multiple players, with the idea of addressing several needs rather than making one single big strike. The tactic makes sense on paper, but it hasn’t really worked in practice, as the Bucs have remained under the .500 mark.
With this in mind, Pittsburgh might now be more open to adding one clear-cut star bat to its lineup, even if it means going outside the team’s usual financial comfort zone. The very top of the free agent hitting market (i.e. Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette) is likely still out of the question for the Pirates. But, if Schwarber and Naylor are on the radar, players like Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suarez, Kazuma Okamoto, and any number of other available bats could now conceivably be within Pittsburgh’s spending range.
Bucs fans can be forgiven for taking a “we’ll believe it when we see it” stance on the Pirates’ pursuit of major free agents. That said, Paul Skenes‘ immediate impact as arguably baseball’s best pitcher has created more pressure on the team to return to contention while Skenes is still under team control. Skenes and the Pirates’ collection of promising young arms was let down by a dismal offense in 2025, so adding hitting is the obvious top priority on the team’s offseason checklist.
The common theory going into the winter was that Pittsburgh was again going to trade from its stockpile of hurlers to obtain some much-needed hitting help. Cherington had already flatly shot down any possibility of Skenes being dealt, but conceivably any of the less-experienced arms could be dealt for an equally promising young bat. As for the Buccos’ more seasoned pitchers, the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported today that Johan Oviedo is drawing trade interest, and Mitch Keller has been mentioned in trade rumors for months.
Keller is also the Pirates’ second-highest paid player, so dealing the right-hander would free up more payroll room for further moves. This could mean more exploration at the higher end of the free agent market, or the Pirates could conceivably take on some salary in a trade for a more expensive hitter. Trading Keller for a similarly-priced hitter would be the smoothest way to accomplish this goal, though such an easy match isn’t obvious on the trade front.
The fact that the Pirates were looking at Naylor doesn’t necessarily mean that the team isn’t satisfied with incumbent first baseman Spencer Horwitz, as Horwitz could be moved to DH in the event that another first baseman was added. It also could mean that Pittsburgh was more broadly looking at any available top bat, and figuring out the positional fit can come after the fact.
One position that probably won’t receive much attention is shortstop, as top prospect Konnor Griffin is expected to be in the majors at some point in 2026. This could even be as early as Opening Day, as Passan writes that “the Pirates are strongly considering giving [Griffin]…the opportunity to win their big league shortstop job” in Spring Training. It would be a bold promotion for a 19-year-old who has only one year of pro ball under his belt, and Griffin’s resume consists of 21 Double-A games and zero Triple-A games.
Nevertheless, Griffin is viewed as perhaps the best prospect in baseball, and he looked so impressive in 2025 that he already appears to be on the verge of his MLB debut. Putting Griffin on the Opening Day roster and keeping him in the majors throughout 2026 could eventually earn the Pirates a bonus draft pick via the Prospect Promotion Incentive program, should Griffin win Rookie of the Year honors, or if he has a top-three finish in NL MVP voting during his pre-arbitration years.
Pirates To Select Cam Sanders
The Pirates are selecting right-hander Cam Sanders, according to a report from Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com confirms that report, adding that right-hander Johan Oviedo is set to be optioned to the minors to make room for Sanders on the active roster. The Pirates have multiple 40-man roster vacancies, so no additional corresponding transaction will be necessary.
Sanders, 28, was a 12th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2018. He’s spent the past four seasons bouncing between the Double- and Triple-A levels with the Cubs and Pirates. He’s typically posted excellent numbers at Double-A and poor numbers at Triple-A and ultimately converted from starting to relief work with the Cubs last year. Now in the Pirates organization after electing minor league free agency over the winter, he’s looked utterly dominant in the upper minors with a 1.90 ERA in 18 appearances at Double-A to go with a nearly identical 1.93 ERA in 15 appearances at the Triple-A level.
Between the two levels, Sanders has punched out 30.5% of his opponents in 42 1/3 innings of work this year. Walks have been a problem for Sanders in the past, as he surrendered free passes at an unplayable 22.4% clip at Triple-A last year. He’s kept them under control this year, however, with a 12.0% walk rate overall that drops to just 9.7% when looking only at Triple-A. Sanders will need to continue throwing strikes if he’s to survive in the majors, but the quality of his stuff gives him possible late-inning upside if he can continue to show even passable command. He’ll now join a relief corps that recently lost closer David Bednar at this year’s trade deadline and will vie for work with the likes of Dauri Moreta, Kyle Nicolas, and Yohan Ramirez.
As for Oviedo, the right-hander made his first big league appearance since 2023 yesterday in a start against the Giants but surrendered two runs in one inning of work after walking three and striking out three. Acquired from the Cardinals in the Jose Quintana trade back in 2022, Oviedo posted a solid 4.31 ERA in 31 starts for the Pirates the following year and looked like a viable #4 starter of the future for the club before being sidelined by Tommy John surgery. He has a 3.12 ERA in six rehab starts in the minor leagues this year, but judging off yesterday’s difficult return he may need some more time to build up before returning to the majors in a more permanent role. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, and Mike Burrows holding things down at the big league level in rotation for the time being.
Pirates Designate Genesis Cabrera For Assignment
The Pirates have designated left-handed reliever Genesis Cabrera for assignment, manager Don Kelly tells the team’s beat (link via Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). That’ll be the corresponding move to open a 26-man roster spot for righty Johan Oviedo, who’ll make his first major league start in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the 2023-24 offseason.
Pittsburgh signed the 28-year-old Cabrera to a major league contract back in June. He’d opened the year on a minor league deal with the Mets, was added to the roster and was subsequently designated for assignment. The Cubs signed Cabrera to a big league deal shortly thereafter, and a similar sequence played out as he was designated, became a free agent, and signed a big league deal with the Buccos.
In 28 innings this season, Cabrera has pitched to a 5.79 ERA. That includes a 4.91 earned run average in 11 innings as a Pirate. Cabrera yielded six runs on a dozen hits and a walk with seven strikeouts during his five to six weeks in Kelly’s bullpen.
The hard-throwing Cabrera has been erratic in his career, but the bottom-line results in 303 2/3 big league frames are decent. He sports a lifetime 4.06 ERA in the majors, and his 22.1% strikeout rate isn’t too far shy of league-average for a reliever. Cabrera’s 10.9% walk rate is high but not quite egregiously so. He’s typically posted above-average swinging-strike rates and slightly below-average ground-ball rates.
Cabrera will now head to either outright waivers or release waivers. Since the trade deadline has come and gone, there’s no alternative for the Bucs to explore. He’ll be made available to the league’s other 29 times in reverse order of leaguewide standings.
As for Oviedo, he’ll finally get back on a big league mound and hope to seize a rotation spot. The former Cardinals prospect had done just that prior to his injury, tossing 233 2/3 innings of 4.03 ball from 2022-23. That includes a career-high 177 2/3 innings in 2023, when he logged a respectable 4.31 ERA. Oviedo typically sits 95-97 mph with his fastball. Both his strikeout and walk rates have been a bit worse than average, but he’s been adept at dodging hard contact and keeping the ball in the yard. He ought to get a real look down the stretch, and Pittsburgh controls him for an additional two seasons via arbirtation.
Which Arms Could The Pirates *Actually* Trade This Summer?
This week's report that there's "no chance" the Pirates trade ace Paul Skenes, just one and a half seasons into his six-year window of club control, stood out as fairly obvious for most onlookers. That anyone felt it needed to be said at all was more a reflection on the organization as a whole than Skenes himself.
Pittsburgh has taken a step back this season, sitting on pace to win 56 games after winning 76 games in both 2023 and 2024. A rebuild that has seen the Bucs pick ninth or better in five consecutive drafts, including No. 1 overall in 2021 and 2023, has not only failed to produce a contender -- it's failed to even produce a farm system that ranks in the top third of MLB. The team at Baseball America ranked the Pirates with MLB's 16th-best system prior to this season. Keith Law of The Athletic did the same. MLB.com's trio of Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra ranked the Bucs 14th. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel was more bearish, ranking them 20th.
The Pirates already fired manager Derek Shelton. General manager Ben Cherington can't feel as secure as he did a few seasons ago. Owner Bob Nutting bears the brunt of the blame; his refusal to invest in the roster leaves the front office and coaching staff zero margin for error. Nutting's overwhelmingly frugal nature also leaves veritably no chance that Skenes will be signed long-term.
Just because a trade at some point down the road feels inevitable, however, does not mean it'll happen this year. That's never seemed likely, and while the "no way, no chance, no how" quote was from a Pirates executive who preferred to remain anonymous rather than place their name on those words, GM Ben Cherington soon offered a similar sentiment on the record.
The Pirates, for all their warts, are still a pitching-rich organization. The name at the very top of the pyramid may not be on the move, but the Pirates will have no shortage of pitchers who are legitimately available this summer. There's always a broad range of "availability." Pure veteran rentals will probably be aggressively shopped. Pitchers signed/controlled through 2026 will presumably be available but with a higher price tag. And there will be some arms with even more club control on whom the Bucs will listen but not outright dangle to contenders seeking to bolster their own staffs.
Let's run through some of the likely available inventory.
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