Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta
Last but not least is the main piece from the Brandon Workman deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that was made late in the season. Nick Pivetta, like Houck, had a mini coming out party in Boston. He resembles Eovaldi in a way, having excellent velocity, but at times struggles with his command and becomes fastball friendly and predictable.
In his lone two starts with Boston, he did his thing by winning both appearances and posting a 1.80 ERA, striking out 13 batters in 10 innings, and walking 5. A fresh start was exactly what Pivetta needed, as he posted a disappointing 15.88 ERA with the Phillies in the first half of the season serving as a relief pitcher.
Pivetta is best suited as a starter and that where his flashes of success have come from. He should at least get an opportunity to open up the year as the sixth man, as offseason addition Matt Andriese would be best suited in the long reliever role. Pivetta has been inconsistent throughout his career but he has still managed to have some encouraging stretches since entering the league with the Phillies in 2017. He is viewed as a low-risk option who does carry high upside because he has the stuff it is just a matter of putting it all together. Plugging him in as a starter is well worth the risk.
At the end of the day, it is all up to manager Alex Cora in what he decides to do with this Red Sox rotation. It is a bonus to have some depth for once but there is still a lot of unknowns. The pitching rotation will continue to be the main topic of Spring Training until AC makes a final decision.