Tyler

Samaniego

Samaniego was part of the return the Red Sox got from the Pirates for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia this offseason. The 27-year-old left-hander has allowed two earned runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings at Triple-A with three strikeouts and two walks. If he gets into a game for the Red Sox, it will be his MLB debut.

The 27-year-old left-hander came over from the Pirates in a trade this offseason along with Johan Oviedo. Samaniego had a good spring, throwing 5 1/3 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six. However, he has minor league options left, and the Red Sox have three other left-handed relievers in their bullpen, so they opted to send Samaniego to the minors and kept Ryan Watson on the team. Watson is a Rule 5 pick, so he would have needed to be sent back to the Athletics if he didn’t make the Opening Day roster.

Samaniego heads to Boston just weeks after being added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to shield him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The 26-year-old lefty has yet to pitch above Double-A, but he impressed across four levels last season with a 3.99 ERA and 44/11 K/BB ratio over 38 1/3 innings. He’ll likely open next year in the upper minors and could pitch his way to Fenway Park before season’s end if the command and swing-and-miss stuff continue to trend upward.

The Red Sox are getting lefty Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman, with righty Jesus Travieso going to Pittsburgh — leaving Oviedo as the only established major leaguer involved in the trade. Garcia’s path to an everyday role was blocked in Boston’s overcrowded outfield entering next season, but that obstacle disappears in Pittsburgh, where he should have a clear opportunity to play right away. “The Password” appeared in five games for the Red Sox this past season after batting .267/.340/.470 with 21 homers and seven steals across 114 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. The deal makes a ton of sense for both sides as the Red Sox were able to bolster their starting rotation depth without sacrificing any of their major-league outfield depth while the Pirates swap some pitching depth for a high-upside, power-hitting corner outfield prospect.

Valdez is the clear headliner on the heels of a transcendent Arizona Fall League campaign where he batted .368/.513/.842 with eight round-trippers in 19 games. The 21-year-old slugger’s emergence gives the Pirates another potential high-impact bat to pair with blue-chip prospects Konnor Griffin and Edward Florentino, who will enter next season among the top-ranked talents in baseball. He’s officially protected from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft and should enter next spring as one of the more exciting talents for fantasy managers to monitor in the upper minors.