A day after the New York Yankees acquired relief pitcher Zach Britton from the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox officially kicked off their trade season by trading for Rays veteran starter, Nathan Eovaldi for left handed pitching prospect, Jalen Beeks.
The trade adds depth to a very thin rotation for the Red Sox, with the injuries to Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez and a struggling Drew Pomeranz returning, Dave Dombrowski decided to pull the trigger for a right handed starter to add into a rotation of mostly lefties. Eovaldi could help the Red Sox sooner rather than later, possibly starting tomorrow at Fenway against the Twins. This move could also allow Pomeranz to adjust to the bullpen and become a relief pitcher until needed.
Eovaldi comes to the Red Sox with a 3-4 record this season with a 4.29 ERA with 53 strikeouts, although he has given up 27 runs, most to which were given up by the long ball.
All in all, this was a great depth addition for a very thin rotation, something that has been one of the needs for this club going forward… The question now is will Dealer Dave go out and get some help and boost the bullpen with a currently struggling Joe Kelly and no clear path to Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen makes it one of the many moves the Red Sox could make before Tuesdays deadline.