The Boston Red Sox addressed their lack of pitching depth by trading for right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Red Sox also received two prospects, left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman. In return, the Pirates received outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and right-handed pitcher Jesus Travieso.
Oviedo returned to the big leagues in August after recovering from Tommy John surgery, which kept him out of the entire 2024 season. In his nine starts this past season, he posted a 3.57 ERA and held hitters to a.182 batting average.
Even with the addition of Oviedo, the Red Sox still need to address their pitching staff. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are projected to be ready for the upcoming season after missing all of last season due to injuries, and the bullpen has several players who struggled last season.
To acquire more pitching, the Red Sox could dip into their surplus of outfielders. Kristian Campbell signed an eight-year, $60 million contract at the beginning of last season. However, struggles midway through the season led to his being sent down to Triple-A.
He's currently blocked at both the middle infield and center field positions. However, the Red Sox don't want him stuck in Triple-A all season, so they can look at dealing one of their many outfield options.
Durran has been a popular name on the rumor mill. He's a top-tier talent that is under team control through the 2028 season. Besides Wilyer Abreu, Durran is the player the Red Sox would receive the most value trading away.
The move would also open a starting spot for Campbell if he's ready to return to the big leagues or Romy Gonzalez, who was outstanding last season. He produced nine home runs, 47 runs, 53 RBIs, an.826 OPS, and a 123 wRC+ in 341 plate appearances. Gonzalez accrued these stats playing only half a season, so it’d be in the team's best interest to give him more at-bats. However, he has only played in 26 games in the outfield over his four-year MLB career.
Be on the lookout during the Winter Meetings for the Red Sox to make a trade. Durran makes the most sense to trade, but it could be any of their plethora of outfielders.