Yankees potentially got good news after Red Sox's questionable Pirates trade

File this one under bizarre trades that make no sense. The Boston Red Sox just traded Jhostynxon Garcia, their No. 3 prospect and No. 85 in MLB Pipeline's Top 100, as well as a famously difficult-to-spell name, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, a guy who made just nine starts last season. The New York Yankees have got to be laughing at this one.

The full trade includes a few other youngsters swapping jerseys, with 22-year-old catcher Adonys Guzman and 26-year-old lefty Tyler Samaniego heading up to Boston and 18-year-old righty Jesus Travieso accompanying Garcia on the trip to Pittsburgh. None of these other odds and ends are considered significant prospects, and Samaniego, despite his advanced age, has yet to get the call to the majors.

This deal is all about Oviedo and Guzman, and aside from it being a weird one, it has some implications that could benefit the Yankees.

The Yankees might benefit from the Red Sox's bizarre decision to swap top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia for starter Johan Oviedo

The first thing to consider here is the Sonny Gray of it all. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow stated at the outset of free agency that one of his club's top priorities was adding a No. 2 starter to slot in behind ace Garrett Crochet and ahead of Brayan Bello. Does this mean that the trash-talking Gray is it?

By the numbers, it doesn't seem like it. Gray is coming off a 4.28 ERA campaign and has managed a 4.07 ERA the past two years in St. Louis. While his strikeout and walk numbers are still good, he's gotten hit hard at times, posting a 9.8% barrel rate in 2025, which is a 23rd percentile mark. And, as we know full well, he hasn't exactly responded well to the pressure of hot rivalries and big media markets.

At 36 years old, it would appear that Gray is on the decline, but with the $21 million he'll count against the luxury tax for Boston, the finances make it seem like he indeed is their No. 2, even if the performance suggests otherwise.

Spending on a free-agent starter, especially when they have business to attend to with Alex Bregman and elsewhere in their lineup, seems unlikely. And now trading Garcia, they've lost a prime chip to acquire an arm like Joe Ryan, who they'd previously been linked to.

Boston's rotation seems awfully full, too. Even with the durability concerns that Oviedo brings, he's only once pitched more than 62 1/3 innings in a season, and that came in 2023 when he ultimately needed Tommy John surgery. They have Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval coming back from injury, as well as top prospects Connelly Early and Payton Tolle vying for roles. Kyle Harrison (acquired in the Rafael Devers trade) and Hunter Dobbins are two other arms that could be in play as well.

Garcia was caught in their outfield logjam. With Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Jarren Duran all competing for playing time, that didn't leave room for Garcia, who got a cup of coffee in 2025 and appeared ready for a promotion.

At the same time, it's insane that they couldn't have flipped Garcia for something better than a soon-to-be 28-year-old starter with a 4.61 career FIP, unimpressive strikeout numbers, a sky-high walk-rate, and a serious injury history.

As the Yankees navigate the starting pitching landscape, they can rest easy knowing that many of the threats to steal away the top options have been neutralized. The Blue Jays are likely done after adding Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to their rotation. Now, you can check the Red Sox off the list of competitors as well.

So thanks, Mr. Breslow. Your rotation, other than Crochet, is rather uninspiring, and you gave up a top asset to make it so. We appreciate it.