The Boston Red Sox officially announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber on Thursday. But it came at the expense of a disappointing acquisition.

In order to make room for Kluber on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox have designated righty Connor Seabold for assignment, the team announced. The Red Sox now have seven days to waive, trade, or release Seabold. If he is waived and clears, the Sox would have the option to outright him from the 40-man roster to a minor league affiliate.

But typically, DFA means the team is ready to move on from the player. So it’s quite possible that Seabold has pitched his last game for the Red Sox organization.

• To make room for Kluber on the 40-man roster, Boston designated RHP Connor Seabold for assignment.

  — Red Sox (@RedSox) January 12, 2023

• Seabold made just five starts for Boston in 2022, and it decidedly did not go well. He went 0-4 and posted an 11.29 ERA in 18.1 innings, while allowing five home runs.

  The Red Sox originally acquired Seabold in August 2020, when they sent Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman to the Phillies in exchange for Seabold and Nick Pivetta. To be clear, this was the pre-Dave Dombrowski era in Philadelphia.

  

  BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 26: Connor Seabold #67 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Fenway Park on September 26, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

• Pivetta has been a decent find for the Red Sox, and what he can say that most other Sox starters cannot say about themselves is he’s been durable. He led the American League in starts in 2022 with 33, and pitched 179.2 innings, a relatively high number these days.

  But Pivetta also posted a 4.56 ERA and finished with a 10-12 record. So he’s a 3-5 starter at best.

  So, the hope for the rotation as currently constituted is that Kluber can reclaim some of his past form. He did manage to start 31 games and pitch 164 innings for the Texas Rangers in 2022, but he was also 10-10 with a 4.34 ERA. But what might give the Red Sox hope is that he led the AL with just 1.2 walks per nine innings. The Sox seem to have prioritized pitchers who throw a lot of strikes in the off-season, in general.

• 

  ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 16: Corey Kluber #28 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during a game against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field on September 16, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

• We’ll see how it shakes out for the Red Sox rotation in 2022. They obviously didn’t make any major additions on the pitching staff, opting for more affordable deals on distressed assets. Their big moves were re-signing Rafael Devers to the largest contract in franchise history, and signing top Japanese prospect Masataka Yoshida to play in the outfield.

  This particular Kluber/Seabold move underlines two hallmarks of Chaim Bloom’s tenure as Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer: low-risk signings and questionable trades. Seabold is the latest acquisition that never worked out.

  Click here for complete Boston Red Sox coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

• Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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