The first of, likely, many trade deadline moves sends RHP to Boston.
About 90 minutes before he was supposed to start the finale against the Yankees, Nathan Eovaldi was sent packing to yet another AL East team, his third in three seasons, the first place Red Sox.
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) July 25, 2018
The return could be quite impressive.
Coming to the Rays is Boston’s No. 6 prospect, according to Baseball America, LHP Jalen Beeks. Before the season began, Beeks, 25, was ranked 11th in the Red Sox system. An impressive first half of the season vaulted him into the top 10. It’s worth noting, however, the Boston farm system is not noted as one of the leagues’s best.
In 2018 with AAA Pawtucket, Beeks is 5-5 with a 2.89 ERA over 16 starts. He’s also struck out 117 hitters over just 87.1 innings. He was Boston’s 2017 minor league player of the year.
The trade is only the second in franchise history between Boston and Tampa Bay. Back in 1999, the Devil Rays traded RHP Julio Santana to Boston for a player to be named later. That player wound up being LHP Will Silverthorn.
