Here’s what Chaim Bloom’s first legitimate trade of the 2020 season should tell the rest of the roster – if you’ve not ignored above 2020, you’re on the block.
The deal for Friday night that sent Brandon Workman and set-piece Heath Hembree to the Phillies for a few pitchers was aggressive, came 10 days before the trade deadline, and also decisive. We have long suspected that Bloom’s first priority would be to add young people to an organization that is friendly to her, and that’s exactly what he did.
There’s a chance that right-handers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold are just JAGs who will never make an impact in Fenway Park. But there was enough fun about each of them to take a swing. The fact that this deal comes so early in the deadline window suggests that Bloom plans to take more hacks.
That means Jackie Bradley Jr. is likely to be on loan, on condition that Bloom can find a taker for a .288 midfielder. First baseman Mitch Moreland should be an easier sale, especially since he has played himself on the radar of multiple clubs with his hot start and Gold Glove defense at first.
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If you are not a definite part of the future, your expenses are, which means Michael Chavis, Andrew Benintendi, Kevin Pillar, and quite literally, any pitcher on the active roster should not be surprised if they are called upon to the manager of the manager’s office.
“The timing of trading is not always something you can predict,” Bloom said. “Philly came hard on these two pitchers. They really wanted to complete something and if you have a situation where you have some time before the deadline for trading, you not only see the trade in a vacuum, you are also trying to thinking about what the options are that you may have between now and the deadline, and that is apparently something we should consider, but we found that this return was a really good fit for us, so we got two pitchers who not only fit an area of need, but are also throwers that we like to be a part of this thing for many years to come. I think it’s worth doing right now. “
So what did the Red Sox get? Pivetta is the more recognizable name as he has spent parts of the last four seasons in the major leagues. In 2015 acquired from the Nationals for former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, Pivetta memorably beat Red Sox ace Chris Sale 1-0 on a Thursday night in 2017, and a year later he dropped a 2-1 decision to Rick Porcello.
He made 32 starts in 2018 and hit 188 in 164 innings, his 10.3 K / 9 good for fifth among NL starters. Then-Phillies manager Gabe Kapler handed him the ball for the second game of the 2019 season amid a lot of promise, but Pivetta had so little trouble, he was demographed to Triple-A before the end of April. He has since jumped between start and relief in the major and minor leagues, placing a 15.88 ERA in three appearances this season.
He has a big arm and has a speed bump of 95 mph along with a decent curveball, but the 6-5 judge struggles with command and confidence and represents a classic candidate for change-of-scenery. He will report her to the alternative training site in Pawtucket.
“He’s a great, physical power pitcher,” Bloom told Zoom. “He has a very good fastball, good breaking ball, he also has a change. A man who shows up has the ability to carry a workload from a starter and many of the underlying traits that make it potential for much more success than he enjoyed in terms of his results. “
Seabold is in many ways the opposite of Pivetta. Polished and fixed with his command, he misses no eye-popping pure play, and relies on a fastball with low 90s next to an average slider and switch. He wins by mixing places and by not running anyone. The 6-2, 190-pound was drafted in the third round in 2017 and has risen as high as Double A. He is 11-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 34 small league starts.
“He really knows how to pick up and use his stuff,” Bloom said. “Really nice addition to the beginning pitching depth in the upper levels of our system.”
Even after winning three straight, including Friday’s 8-5 victory over the Orioles, the Red Sox clearly aren’t going anywhere. It’s Bloom’s job to build for what’s next, and there’s a good chance he’s not only not dealing with it, he’s not even started.
“We always want to stay active in conversations,” he said. “I think it really should be the goal to make sure that we are fully aware of all the opportunities that may be there, all that can be an opportunity to improve our organization and help us achieve our goals. “We’re ready for something if we get the chance. It’s too early to know what these 10 days will hold.”
