3 more cost-cutting trades Red Sox could make with Yankees as Boston cries poor

Nick Pivetta

Ok, we've laughed at the idea the Red Sox were going to "unlock" Nick Pivetta long enough to be able to admit that he actually does kind of look unlockable, right? Pivetta still hasn't found his footing as a starter, and he still throws temper tantrums when he gets touched up for homers, but the righty has gone long stretches as a bullpen swingman where he's been borderline impossible to square up.

His hammer curve can get a little loopy sometimes, but when he pitches off his fastball at the top of the zone, he can be both enraging and engaging, leaping off the mound and gyrating with swagger at the end of each crucial inning. If the Yankees could somehow get their hands on the righty's estimated Arb 3 salary -- which will probably land close to $7.5 million -- they could use him as a No. 5 starter/depth piece/bullpen participant in the meantime.

If all goes well, the Yankees could deploy Pivetta as a multi-inning swingman all year long and secure themselves a postseason weapon. If all goes poorly? Boom, he's your No. 4 starter and he'll help you survive until the trade deadline. We're sorry for giggling at the idea that he was an ace in the making when Chaim Bloom dealt for him. He's not, but he's valuable.