(NECN: Justin Michaels) - In baseball's biggest trade of the season, the Red Sox have picked up pitcher Jake Peavy from the White Sox. They gave up shortstop and 3rd baseman José Iglesias to the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox also get reliever Brayan Villarreal from the Tigers as part of the trade.
The 32-year-old, Cy Toung award-winning Peavy, is considered to be the best starting pitcher on the market right now and very competitive on the mound.
One fan said, "They need pitching, yeah. Buchholz might not be coming back you never know, he's been in and out, so he's a veteran so that might help out."
Experts say this move gives Boston a proven starter for the stretch run in the AL East.
Some fans worry about losing 23-year-old Iglesias, who hit .330 in 63 games for the Red Sox, and is one of the team's best fielders.
One fan said, "They need a starting pitcher but I think Iglesias was doing well, so I don't know if he's the one they should've traded."
Despite that, Boston Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington is optimistic about this trade.
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"We're really excited to bring Jake here,” said Cherington. “He's obviously a proven major-league starter. He's had a ton of success in his career. If there was one thing we could do, if we could pull it off, it's add a starting pitcher. We're in a position to compete for a playoff spot and we felt like adding a starting pitcher was one of the most important things we could do to do that."
This is a no-cash deal.
The Red Sox have assumed Peavy's contract, which does include $14.5 million in salary.
He'll be with the Sox through 2015.
