Johan Oviedo thrilled to reunite with Pirates mentor in Boston

Johan Oviedo never wanted to leave the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his difficult transition to the Boston Red Sox has been softened by the presence of a player who's become a mentor to him: Aroldis Chapman.

Oviedo praised Chapman, his fellow Cuban, in 2024 when the two pitchers were teammates on the Pirates. That praise has been repeated now that Oviedo's reunited with Chapman in Boston, and the pitchers have been working out together for months.

According to MassLive's Christopher Smith, Oviedo had already been training at Chapman's home this offseason before the trade went down.

“It’s probably the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life,” Oviedo told Smith. “(Chapman is) a monster.”

Oviedo also revealed to Smith that he's looking to Chapman as a prime example of durability, seeing as Chapman just experienced one of the most dominant seasons of his career at age 37.

Moreover, Chapman's improved command in 2025, particularly when it comes to first-pitch strikes, is something that Oviedo is looking to emulate in 2026.

Johan Oviedo and Aroldis Chapman are mirroring their Pirates bond on the Red Sox

When the pair were teammates in Pittsburgh, Oviedo was going through an arduous rehab process following Tommy John surgery. Chapman became a source of inspiration for Oviedo and a mentor to lean on.

That relationship has now been rekindled, although the circumstances have changed: Oviedo is healthy these days and raring to go. He's competing for Boston's fifth spot in the rotation, and news out of camp suggests he's the frontrunner so far.

The Red Sox will need to push the right buttons when it comes to managing Oviedo's workload, a challenge that Pittsburgh faced last season. Then again, Oviedo is another full season removed from surgery, and Boston's considerable depth at starting pitcher will allow them to pace Oviedo even more than is necessarily required.

The Red Sox have a passionate pitcher in Oviedo who has communicated since his departure from Pittsburgh that he truly gave the Pirates organization everything he had. Oviedo's fire positions him nicely alongside his fellow countryman Chapman, whose death stare following a strikeout has become one of the most iconic poses in Major League Baseball.

Oviedo's exit from Pittsburgh wasn't easy. We take for granted the human side of trades in professional sports. Athletes form real relationships with their teammates and coaches. To have to walk away from all of that in an instant and start over again with a new franchise is no small task.

Luckily for Oviedo, he'll have Chapman in Boston to make his journey as smooth as possible.