Notes: Barnes on Phils' trade; plan for Pivetta
Matt Barnes had heard the buzz all day, so when he and Brandon Workman were about to walk out to the bullpen together Friday night, he wasn’t surprised to hear his teammate get called back to the clubhouse.
“When that happened, I kind of knew what was going on,” Barnes said.
Workman and Heath Hembree had been traded to the Phillies, leaving Barnes without two of his closest friends on the team.
“Workman especially, him and I came up together, played at every level together,” Barnes said. “He's the one who taught me how to throw a curveball. He’s been a big part of my pro career. … At the end of the day, it's part of the business and unfortunately we have no control over that. It kind of is what it is.”
Although Barnes refused to classify the Red Sox as “sellers,” he understands the reality of the situation -- that he could be one of the next Red Sox players on their way out of town before the Aug. 31 Trade Deadline. But the 30-year-old isn’t spending much time worrying about it, focusing instead on trying to help turn around Boston’s season.
“If rumors and stuff start floating around, obviously you're going to see them,” Barnes said. “But at the end of the day, I'm on the Red Sox right now and I need to go out there and be prepared to go get three, four or five outs, whatever it may be that’s called upon me tonight if the situation arises.
“Things can change by the minute right now, but that's part of the business and part of what we signed up for and until. Until [chief baseball officer] Chaim [Bloom] or [manager Ron] Roenicke or somebody calls me into office and says ‘You're no longer with us,’ my full attention and my full devotion is to this organization and winning ballgames.”
Roenicke doesn’t plan on using Barnes full-time in the closer’s role previously occupied by Workman, instead employing the right-hander as a rover in high-leverage spots. Barnes could certainly see some save opportunities, but he won’t be the only one; Roenicke mentioned Josh Taylor, Austin Brice and Ryan Brasier as potential late-inning options.
“As long as he can go out there and be efficient with his pitches, there's no reason why he can't really adapt to pretty much anything we ask of him,” Roenicke said of Barnes. “He's got two plus pitches and when he's throwing strikes in the zone, he’s really difficult to hit.”
Nick needs time
Nick Pivetta, one of the two pitchers acquired by the Red Sox in Friday night’s trade, will work at the alternate training site in Pawtucket, R.I., as the club assesses how he can help them in 2020 and beyond.
Pivetta was ineffective in three relief outings for the Phillies this season, allowing 10 runs over 5 2/3 innings. He was a full-time starter for Philadelphia in 2018 (164 innings, 4.77 ERA and 188 strikeouts), but only 13 of his 30 appearances in '19 were starts, as he struggled throughout the year, spending some time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
“It's getting to know him, talking about what he thinks he needs to progress,” Roenicke said. “We want him as a starter and he wants to start. Chaim and I talked this morning and we want to get to know him first before we figure out does he come join us and jump right in the rotation, or is it better for him to stay there for a little bit and work on some things?”
New additions
To replace Workman and Hembree on the active roster, the Red Sox recalled left-hander Jeffrey Springs and right-hander Robert Stock from the alternate training site.
Springs made the Opening Day roster after being acquired from the Rangers in January. He has made four relief appearances for the Sox this season, posting a 15.43 ERA. Stock has made one appearance for Boston this season, allowing one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings.
“The lefty righty thing gives us the flexibility, even though we still have a three-batter limit,” Roenicke said. “With [Taylor], thinking about him maybe a little later in the game, it allows us to mix and match a little bit earlier.”