The Tampa Bay Rays have traded starter Nathan Eovaldi to the Boston Red Sox in return for lefty Jalen Beeks. Not even 24 hours after the New York Yankees traded for star closer Zach Britton the Bomber’s division rivals had to even the score.

Nathan Eovaldi is 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA with an impressive 0.98 WHIP and a strikeout/walk ratio of 53/8 in 57 innings over the course of ten starts in 2018. Eovaldi had a delayed 2018 debut in May after missing all of 2017 following a second career Tommy John surgery. While this is troubling, the Red Sox are only acquiring him for a couple of months and Eovaldi comes with a very cheap $2 million club option for 2019 if he impresses Boston within the next few months.

“I assumed there was a possibility, of course, especially where I am in my career and the way my contract was for this year,” Eovaldi said before leaving Tropicana Field. “I was assuming that I would be traded, but as for what team it would be, I wasn’t thinking about that at all.”

The Boston Red Sox have had issues as of late with injuries in their starting rotation with Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez currently on the Disabled List, so there is certainly need for the right-hander for the Red Sox. Eovaldi is 41-50 with a 4.22 ERA in 144 major league appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Jalen Beeks made the first two Major League appearances of his career this season, allowing nine runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings for a 12.79 ERA. Beeks has had far more success in the Minor Leagues, as the Triple-A starter is currently 5-5 with a 3.40 ERA and a strikeout/walk ratio of 117/25 in 87.1 innings. Jalen Beeks was a 12th round Major League Baseball Draft selection in 2014 out of the University of Arkansas.

The Boston Red Sox have a 5.0 game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East Division and the acquisition of Nathan Eovaldi puts them in a great position as long as Eovaldi remains effective. The Yankees bolstered their bullpen yesterday and the Red Sox have now just evened the score.