New No. 6 prospect Garcia can help Bucs in '26 and beyond

When you look at the top of the Pirates’ prospect rankings, what stands out the most is how close many of these players are to being contributors in Pittsburgh in 2026. Their top prospect Konnor Griffin will have a chance to break camp with the team or at least debut at some point next year. Their No. 2 prospect Bubba Chandler is going to be a preseason favorite for Rookie of the Year. Their No. 4 prospect Hunter Barco was up for a cup of coffee last year and could end up being the rotation’s lefty.

Then there is the newest player to that prospect list, Jhostynxon Garcia. Their new No. 6 guy -- and No. 85 overall, according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings -- was acquired from the Red Sox earlier this winter as the centerpiece of a five-player trade that included Johan Oviedo going back to Boston.

“Some big-time power that he brings and just the ability to play all three outfield positions,” manager Don Kelly said at the Orlando Winter Meetings. “Looks like he's an above-average outfielder. … All the reports we've gotten back and the video we've gotten to watch, we're really excited to add a young project of his caliber to this team.”

Even though he only has seven Major League at-bats under his belt, there is obvious appeal in the player nicknamed “The Password.” He’s a strong defender who, as Kelly said, can play all three outfield positions with good speed and hit tools. There’s the potential for pop, too, especially after he hit 21 home runs with a .470 slugging percentage last season.

The Pirates had Garcia as a potential target for some time and had been a part of the pitcher-for-outfielder trade talks they had with the Red Sox that had begun at the Trade Deadline.

“He’s someone who we believe has the skills to contribute in a lot of different areas of the game,” general manager Ben Cherington said at the Winter Meetings. “He’s got defensive value. He can run the bases. He’s got power. We’ve seen him really improve quickly during his time in the Minor Leagues with the Red Sox. He has a lot of attributes already that look like a Major League player. There are some areas for him where there’s still some growth ahead of him. We’ll work with him on that.”

The areas of growth are apparent. Garcia had a 34.2% whiff rate in the Minors last season, including a 24% whiff rate on pitches in the zone (for reference, the Major League average on the latter stat was 17.3%). He’s also prone to chase out of the zone, which inflates that whiff rate.

Those areas of development are hardly a dealbreaker, but he will need to improve to become a big leaguer. It’s why even though he was the first big addition in the outfield this offseason, the Pirates are still exploring the market and could add more, as they did Friday in their three-way deal to acquire outfielder Jake Mangum along with infielder Brandon Lowe and lefty reliever Mason Montgomery. It’s why Garcia is positioned to be a part of the 2026 team and beyond, but it’s far from guaranteed he’ll break camp with the team.

“We think [the trade] fits in the strategy, but it’s not the end of the strategy,” Cherington said.

The Pirates have two-thirds of their outfield equation basically set with Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, and they’re looking to bolster the group more -- even after adding Garcia and Mangum. Jack Suwinski agreed to a contract for 2026 to avoid arbitration last month, but he needs to earn a spot on the team. No. 16 prospect Esmerlyn Valdez probably needs some more time in the Minors.

So while the Pirates are looking to improve the unit, Garcia is positioned well to still make an impact in Pittsburgh at some point this season. Time will tell if and when that will happen.