The Pivetta heist: The trade acquiring Sox best starter shaping up to Bloom’s biggest steal

Jun. 29—What do Heathcliff Slocumb and Heath Hembree have in common besides similar sounding names?

Both were 31-year-old right-handed relief pitchers who had established big league track records at the time they were traded by the Boston Red Sox. Slocumb was a former all-star, Hembree a World Series champion, and both were viewed as the solution to their new teams’ bullpen woes.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear they have something else in common too. They were at the center of two of the biggest heists in Red Sox history.