Nick Pivetta had heard the rumblings.
The Rays, evidently, really, really wanted to trade for the former Phillies hurler.
"I had heard it through the grapevine," the Red Sox pitcher told WEEI.com.
His information was correct. And the person spearheading Tampa Bay's quest just happened to be the guy who ultimately reeled in Pivetta, albeit with another organization - Chaim Bloom.
"Our interest in him last month was not a surprise to them," the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer said in September after pulling off a deal with Philadelphia.
"Once I got traded to Boston I talked to Chaim and he said he ha been looking at me for a long time,' Pivetta said. "So to have an organization want me and have me in their starting rotation ... I feel good. I feel really confident into the season."
In the next breath the 27-year-old ramped up an enthusiasm that has been building throughout an offseason in Fort Myers.
"With Boston having so much recent success and competing at that level, that's what I want to do," the righty added. "I want to test myself to see what it's like to be in the playoffs, to pitch in the playoffs. I want to pitch in big games an hep this team in the starting rotation get into the World Series, and that's what I'm capable of doing ... Words can't describe how excited I am."
Thanks in part to Bloom's fascination, Pivetta is on the verge of getting his big chance.
Heading into spring training it appears he has an inside track on a spot in the Red Sox' rotation, joining Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Garrett Richards, and ultimately Chris Sale. Also in the mix are Tanner Houck and newly-acquired Matt Andriese.
It's been just more than five months since Pivetta joined Connor Seabold in coming to the Red Sox in exchange for Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman. But early returns -- from both side of the equation -- are very encouraging.
It started with easing his way into the Red Sox organization at the alternate site before ultimately getting two starts in the final week of the 2020 season. The change of scenery, combined with some key mechanical tweaks (lengthening his arm action), resulted in giving up just two runs over 10 innings in his two outings.
And it wasn't lost on Pivetta who he held to a run over five innings in that last start -- the Braves in Atlanta. It was a team that had punctuated the pitcher's time Philadelphia. In his final appearance as a member of the Phillies, Pivetta gave up six runs while getting just one out.
"I had some things I needed to iron out," Pivetta said. "Just getting sent down, traded and being valued again. I definitely had some mental hurdles to hop ... Showing them that I am a starting pitcher in the big leagues and that I can help a team compete for a World Series, and then going into the offseason getting much stronger and working on some more stuff was great.
Pivetta talks about getting back to the roots of who he was as one of the game's most promising young starters, spending hours looking at video with pitching coach Dave Bush of outings such as the back-to-back starts against the Dodgers and Phillies in 2019 in which he allowed one run over 15 innings.
The other part of the preparation equation was carrying over lessons learned from trainer Matt Uohara while training with the likes of Lucas Giolito and Max Fried in Los Angeles. And while Pivetta was confined to Fort Myers as his offseason home base, the regimen put in place a year before continued.
"The program is really unique. Matt is a really unique guy," he explained. "A lot of it are one-legged movements because that's the way pitchers move, from one leg to another and then maneuvering the bad all together to use that an explosive movement so I can work in an efficient way to deliver a pitch."
Now, with spring training just a few days away, Pivetta feels he is in a position to put his best foot forward.
"I've gotten stronger this offseason," he said. "I feel like physically I'm probably in the best shape I have been in throughout my career. I'm doing really well."
