UPDATED: 11:57 a.m.
When Nathan Eovaldi heard he was traded, he was disappointed.
"I guess the initial reaction is like . . . [disappointment]," said the right-handed starter, traded from the Rays to the Red Sox on Wednesday morning for left-handed prospect Jalen Beeks. "I feel like I've developed such a relationship with all these guys here [and] all the opportunities the Rays gave me to come back and recover from my surgery."
But . . .
"Then again, when they say 'Boston' I can't help but be excited about that," he admitted. "First place . . . that says a lot, how tough our division is here. I'm really excited about going over there and helping that team."
Eovaldi, 28, is 3-4 on the season and sports a 4.26 ERA, but has racked up a 0.98 WHIP and walked just eight in 57 innings for the Rays.
Beeks, 25, appeared in two games at the major league level this season, but has spent the vast majority of the year at AAA Pawtucket, where the southpaw sports a 5-5 record and a 2.89 ERA.
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Despite Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello at the top of the rotation, concerns about Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz's health thrust Boston into the market for starting pitching.
