Earlier this week the Pittsburgh Pirates made their first big splash toward building out their 2026 roster by shipping off hard-throwing and oft-injured right-hander Johan Oviedo, along with minor leaguers Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman, to Boston for top-100 prospect Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia and 18-year-old Jesus Travieso. It is no secret that the Pirates are in desperate need of some power in the middle of their lineup, and adding Garcia into their plans while only having to let go of Johan Oviedo is some shrewd business by the Buccos F.O.
Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia
Current title holder of the greatest nickname in baseball, Garcia is an outfielder (reps at 1B as well) by trade and the current #85 prospect by MLB Pipeline. While getting a quick five-game stint in Boston never amounted to much, Garcia was able to show some plus hitting prowess between AA Portland and AAA Worcester with a split of .267/.340/.470 with 21 homers, 7 steals, and over 60 RBIs. He was also able to post a 116 wRC+ along with some really good EV metrics. “The Password’s” ability to hit for power to all fields and his ability to lift the baseball make him an extremely intriguing prospect. There are some questions about his plate discipline and contact rates that concern scouts. He was slowed down by some plate-discipline issues in the minors (35% chase in AAA), and he is definitely a power-over-contact profile, but he kills LHP to the tune of a .964 OPS in 2025 and a 1.186 OPS in 2024. Garcia’s path to some regular Major League gametime has now opened up for him, and it will be on his terms whether he can take advantage of that opportunity, but there is no doubt he will need to adjust his discipline to achieve success in the show, and there might not be a better landing spot in MLB to learn on the job than in Pittsburgh.
While he was not the premier headline of the deal on Thursday between the Pirates and Sox, I think calling Travieso a “throw-in” would be ludicrous. The top-20 Boston Red Sox prospect may only be 5’10 and 18 years old, but he’s got a big-boy arm, consistently 93–97 (touching 100) with a nice slider and a changeup (that needs work). He’s got a quick arm that whips through the zone and a violent delivery that results in a ton of whiffs. In his first season stateside, he threw 64⅔ innings to a 3.06 ERA (3.12 FIP) with a 32% K percentage, a .236 BAA, and a sub-1.5 WHIP. Command and consistency will be the next step for Travieso, and if he passes that test, he could become someone who rises quickly through the organization. While the Pirates will be careful with his development, I can imagine the giddiness the Buccos F.O. feels about Travieso’s electric arm. Another stint in A-Ball is upcoming, and (while unlikely) if the numbers repeat, he could find himself in Altoona by the end of the 2026 season.
