Rival Pirates finally win a trade by dealing ex-Cardinals arm to Red Sox

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made some waves this offseason with their daring proclamations that they'll actually spend some money on their roster.

While that remains to be seen, they did just make a savvy trade that's sure to boost their 2026 output. Dealing with Chaim Bloom's former team, the Boston Red Sox, the Pirates traded former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Johan Oviedo (and prospects Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman) for slugging outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (and prospect Jesus Travieso).

It's a big win for the pitching-rich Pirates, who have needed offensive thump in the worst way for some time. Oviedo was expendable following the emergence of so many great young pitchers, and now the team may finally be putting together a roster worthy of Paul Skenes.

It's not problematic for St. Louis right now, but the Pirates' competitive window may be set to overlap with the end of the Cardinals' rebuild.

Pirates' emergence could push Cardinals to bottom of NL Central standings

By virtue of having three playoff teams in 2025, the NL Central is already one of the stronger divisions in baseball. If the Pirates -- who have Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, and, for now, Mitch Keller, leading their rotation -- start to field a competent offense, they could challenge for the top spot in the division soon enough.

Garcia alone won't change their fortunes, but he is an excellent outfield prospect. He hit .267/.340/.470 with 21 home runs and a 116 wRC+ in the minors in 2025 and was even better in 2024, hitting 23 bombs and producing a ridiculous 149 wRC+.

As for Oviedo, the former Cardinals pitcher still hasn't broken out in a way his 6'6" frame and raw stuff suggest he should. After compiling a 4.65 ERA (5.00 FIP) and -0.7 bWAR in 112 1/3 innings with the Cardinals, he delivered a 4.05 ERA (4.43 FIP) and 3.7 bWAR in 248 2/3 innings with the Pirates.

While Jose Quintana was excellent with the Cardinals, that original Oviedo trade with the Pirates never quite worked out for either side.

Pittsburgh still has a long way to go to return to relevancy, as the only above-average hitters in their lineup (by wRC+) last season were Spencer Horwitz (119 wRC+) and Joey Bart (101 wRC+). Paul Skenes may be otherworldly on the mound, but unless he becomes the next Shohei Ohtani, he isn't going to turn the offense around.

That's good news for the Cardinals, who can live with being bottom-feeders for now as they enter the beginning stages of their rebuild. However, St. Louis will want a clear runway in the NL Central once they are ready to take off again, so hopefully the Pirates don't make too many more shrewd moves this offseason.