Red Sox Insider Believes Boston's Most Durable Starter Is On Trade Block
Could the Boston Red Sox trade away their most reliable starter?
Only one player in the Red Sox's 2022 Opening Day rotation made it through the full 162-game season without a stint on the injured list -- and one beat writer in the know believes he could be on the trade block.
"Boston is still expected to add a starter or two before Opening Day; if that happens, a trade is possible," MassLive's Chris Cotillo wrote Monday. "Pivetta, who has two years of control remaining, is a logical candidate to be shopped."
The trade possibility became a discussion when the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that teams are checking in on Chris Sale's availability. Cotillo pushed back on the reality of a trade involving the southpaw.
"Smart of teams to check to see where things stand," Cotillo tweeted Sunday. "That being said, can’t imagine Sox dealing him with value this low. The one guy I think they’d move is Pivetta."
Pivetta went 10-12 with a 4.56 ERA, 175-to-73 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .253 batting average against and 1.38 WHIP in 179 2/3 innings across 33 starts.
As it stands now, trading away Pivetta would be irresponsible with a rotation expected to be filled out by oft-injured veterans -- Sale and James Paxton and inexperienced young guns -- Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck.
While it would still be a thin group, dealing Pivetta would make sense should the Red Sox re-sign Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha or acquire a reliable external option (Rich Hill does not move the needle in my opinion).
The 29-year-old has extremely poor metrics, ranking in the bottom-five percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage. He also grades poorly in just about every meaningful metric outside of curveball spin -- where he's in the 80th percentile.
If Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom can get a solid return for Pivetta -- likely relying on his durability and two years of team control -- Boston should pull the trigger.
That said, Bloom would then need to sign an impact starter in his place.
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