Pitching prospect Joe Vogatsky reflects on his 'hectic' Sunday morning trade to the Red Sox
Joe Vogatsky’s offseason has been well underway, working out six days a week and beginning to throw long toss and pitch off the mound. There was nothing out of the ordinary going on for the right-hander until he woke up on Sunday morning.
Vogatsky went to bed on Saturday night a member of the Pirates organization; the next day would feel like a whirlwind as he was woken up by a phone call from the Pirates telling him he was being traded to the Red Sox.
“I was still sleeping, and I got a phone call, and I was like, ‘Oh, this looks like an important number,” said Vogatsky jokingly while on the “To the Show We Go” Baseball Podcast, presented by Beyond the Monster. “So I answered the call, and it was basically the Pirates calling to let me know I’d been traded and the Red Sox would be in touch soon.”
Boston would call Vogatsky about 10 minutes later and congratulate him on the trade. Teams are in a blackout period and can have very minimal contact with players until next month.
The 22-year-old felt like the day was speeding right by him after he learned of the trade.
“I hadn’t eaten lunch; I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, like this day is speeding up,’” said Vogatsky. “That first half of the morning, it was hectic. It started cooling down a little bit, and I started getting back into a routine and all that kind of stuff.”
On Saturday, Vogatsky got some materials from the Pirates on spring training and things to expect, obviously not knowing he would be traded to Boston less than 24 hours later. Boston was allowed to reach out and speak to Vogatsky a little more on Monday and went over some plans for the righty as he acclimates himself into the organization. It wasn’t really until after the second phone call with the Red Sox that it finally set in that he was with a new team and he was on a new path and journey in his baseball career.
Vogatsky has been continuing with his offseason throwing plans and workouts. His workout plan will take him up to the middle of January, and then he can begin to have more in-depth conversations with the Red Sox on spring training, things within his arsenal, and where he can expect to report following camp.
“I would love to be able to talk to them and talk pitching and stuff so I can get equipped right away and get to work,” said the newly acquired righty. “Right now I’m just kind of doing my stuff with throwing and lifting to make sure when that (dead period) opens back up, I can have those talks and get rolling.”
