The Red Sox made some stunning moves at the trade deadline, effectively throwing in the towel on the 2014 season.
Two months later, it’s time to take a look back and see how the deals look like with some hindsight. While the overall evaluations of the moves won’t be able to be fully judged until at least after 2015, there’s already been some clarity on how the moves will turn out.
Unlike most teams throwing in the towel and starting a rebuilding effort, Boston focused on acquiring major-league pieces that could help the team turn its fortunes around and pursue a fourth World Series title since 2004 in 2015.
All in all, the team made four deals at the deadline, shipping out total major-leaguers Stephen Drew, Andrew Miller, John Lackey and Jon Lester.
A few days prior to the deadline, the club also sent struggling starting pitcher Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants. That’s worked out wonderfully for the Giants, as Peavy has been an important component of the rotation who has helped vault San Francisco into the playoff race. The team currently occupies the first wild-card slot with Peavy’s 2.16 ERA in 10 starts—a large reason for the improvement.
Boston netted reliever Heath Hembree and starting pitcher Edwin Escobar in the deal, and both have already made their debuts with Boston. If Hembree can become a solid part of the rotation and Escobar can provide depth, this deal will have worked out for Boston quite well.
Let’s take a look at the four deals Boston did after Peavy and grade the impact these moves have had on the team in two months.