Pivetta dealt to Red Sox

The Philadelphia Phillies dealt RHP Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) to the Boston Red Sox on Friday.

August 22, 2020

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) has been dealt from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Boston Red Sox as part of a four-player trade announced on Friday night.

The Phillies also sent minor league right-hander Connor Seabold to the Red Sox in exchange for veteran relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree and cash considerations, along with a player to be named later or cash considerations.

The 27-year-old Pivetta, now in his fourth big league season, has been optioned to the Red Sox Alternate Training Site at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.

After making extensive changes to his off-season training regimen and rejigging his mechanics, Pivetta has struggled in three appearances for the Phillies this season. This follows a disappointing 2019 campaign that saw him record a 5.38 ERA in 30 appearances, including 13 starts.

In all, in 92 career big league appearances, the Victoria Eagles and Junior National Team alum is 19-30 and owns a 5.50 ERA, but has 421 strikeouts in 396 1/3 innings. He was originally selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft before he was swapped to the Phillies for closer Jonathan Papelbon on July 28, 2015.

Seabold, 24, will report with Pivetta to the Red Sox Alternate Training Site in Pawtucket. Chosen by the Phillies in the third round of the 2017 MLB draft, the 24-year-old right-hander has toed the rubber for parts of three seasons in the Phillies organization and made seven starts in double-A in 2019. His combined record with the Phils’ minor league affiliates is 11-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 40 appearances, including 34 starts.

Workman has been in the Red Sox organization since 2010 and was a member of the club’s two most recent World Series-winning teams (2013, 2018). In 194 regular season appearances, the 32-year-old right-hander has gone 24-16 with 19 saves and possesses a 3.76 ERA.

Acquired by the Red Sox from the San Francisco Giants on July 26, 2014, Hembree, 31, has made 251 relief appearances with the Red Sox over the past seven seasons, registering a 15-5 record, a 3.70 ERA, and 270 strikeouts. He was also a member of the Red Sox 2018 World Series-winning squad.