The 2024 Boston Red Sox missed the postseason by a handful of games despite making five trades around the deadline to make a push toward the playoffs.
In hindsight, Boston's moves made little positive impact, as Luis Garcia and Lucas Sims struggled out of the bullpen, James Paxton suffered a season-ending injury, Danny Jansen didn't do much offensively and Quinn Priester made just one start.
Obviously, the Red Sox were in position to make a run at that time, but it's clear now that selling was their best option, and there were apparently teams calling.
According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the Houston Astros attempted to trade for Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta at the deadline. However, with the Red Sox looking to add, Houston pivoted and acquired Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Pivetta had one of his best years for Boston in 2024, appearing in 27 games (starting 26) and posting a 4.14 ERA and a 1.126 WHIP while striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings.
While keeping Pivetta may have helped their odds of making the playoffs, they could've offloaded an expiring contract and gotten prospects in return now.
Boston could still get a draft pick for Pivetta if they offer him the qualifying offer, and he signs elsewhere this offseason, but that's a gamble.
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