Ranking the Red Sox 5 best moves under Chaim Bloom

Red Sox trade for Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold

It doesn’t get much better than this. It was clear from the start than the 2020 Red Sox weren’t going anywhere, and as the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox were looking to offload some pieces. The only true piece of value Bloom had to work with was Brandon Workman, a closer coming off a breaking 2019 season.

Bloom found a suitor in the pitching-needy Philadelphia Phillies, who agreed to take on both Brandon Workman and fellow reliever Heath Hembree. It’s safe to say that neither played panned out. Hembree had a 12.54 ERA before being optioned at the end of the season, while Workman blew three of his eight save opportunities and actually ended up back with the Red Sox in 2021.

Usually when a team sells at the trade deadline, they are looking for prospects in return. And while the Red Sox did acquire one prospect in return (Connor Seabold, who dominated Triple-A en route to a major league callup), the centerpiece of the deal already had 71 major league starts under his belt at the time of his acquisition.

Nick Pivetta always had the stuff of a frontline starter, but wildness and overall inconsistency plagued him during his time in Philly. His 2021 regular season wasn’t really anything special, as evident by his 4.53 ERA, but he became a fan favorite in the postseason by dominating the Rays in extra innings in the critical Game 3 and tossing five innings of one run ball in the ALCS against the Astros.

This season, however, has transitioned this deal from a clear Red Sox win to a straight up train robbery. After a rocky start, Pivetta has been one of the game’s best pitchers since early May, posting a 8-1 record and a 1.85 ERA over his last ten starts.

For the Red Sox to get a frontline starting pitcher and a top prospect in the same deal is one thing, but to get them for two relievers who have produced nothing since the trade is an all-time move. This is Chaim Bloom’s best work.