From Nick Pivetta to Bryan Mata, evaluating a busy day for Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Making sense of a flurry of Red Sox moves over the past 24 hours…
First, serious kudos to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for correctly reading Nick Pivetta’s market. When the Red Sox offered the right-hander a qualifying offer two weeks ago, many of us (raises hand) questioned the wisdom of betting $21 million on a relatively average pitcher on the assumption that he would almost certainly accept that offer (raises again hands up). ).
But Pivetta had other ideas. As front offices base their decisions less and less on the final dessert and more on the ingredients, so to speak, Pivetta clearly believes he will have a market. His combination of a high strikeout rate and a low walk rate is enticing, even if he is a 4.00 ERA guy at best. So he turned down the offer and headed to free agency in search of a multi-year deal.
Assuming Pivetta signs elsewhere, the Red Sox will receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the second round, which would offset the loss of any picks that come with signing a top free agent, such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes or others. …
The Red Sox added two players to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft: right-hander Hunter Dobbins and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia.
Dobbins was just named Minor League Pitcher of the Year and is an option for rotation depth. At age 25, with 25 effective starts between Double- and Triple-A, he was a strong candidate to be selected.
Garcia, who goes by the nickname “The Password,” rose from Low-A to Double-A while hitting 23 home runs. Baseball America ranks him as Boston’s No. 18 prospect.
Of greater importance is who the Red Sox failed to protect. Former Tigers All-Star and Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer signed a two-year minor league contract last winter while recovering from elbow surgery. Depending on where he is in his rehab, he could be attractive to an organization as a no-risk flyer. Then again, if the Red Sox knew this and would have protected him if they felt like he was on the verge of regaining his previous form. …
And finally, a cautionary tale. To make room for Dobbins and Garcia, the Red Sox designated right-handers Isaiah Campbell and Bryan Mata for assignment. The first is the answer to a trivial question: who acquired Breslow in his first transaction? (Campbell came from the Mariners last November for infielder Luis Urias).
The latter is the cautionary tale. Mata was once the organization’s best pitcher, but injuries and ineffectiveness completely derailed his career.
Remember that the next time someone tries to tell you that the Red Sox can’t trade a prospect because he might be a piece of the future, or claims there’s a looming roster crisis and oh no, what are we going to do – more often than not , even high-ranking prospects end up missing.
