3 players whose Red Sox future could be cut short after Winter Meetings

Nick Pivetta

Red Sox fans aren’t sure what to expect from the front office in regard to their pursuit of pitchers via free agency and trades. There’s no shortage of arms available, but will ownership shell out the money needed to make a couple of key upgrades to the rotation and bullpen?

If Boston does add several arms, they will be forced to create space on the 40-man roster through several tough decisions. While Boston may simply release someone like Joe Jacques or Mauricio Llovera, they could take things a step further by trading Nick Pivetta in exchange for an actual return package. The right-hander expressed frustration with his demotion to the bullpen last season and might be the first player moved when Boston bolsters its rotation this winter.

The one caveat here is that any trade involving Pivetta would most likely happen after the major free agent dominoes start to fall. No team is trading for him unless options like Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are gone, forcing teams to explore the next tier of pitchers. On a more favorable note, much like Reyes, Pivetta represents a fit for a variety of teams, including those with less favorable playoff odds.