Boston Red Sox: 10 Best moments of 2018 season

9. Trade deadline acquisitions by Dave Dombrowski

All season long, the Red Sox had one weakness, bullpen pitching. When the trade deadline came up at the end of July, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski had some tough decisions to make.

Domebrowski made 2 moves within the last week of the end if July, acquiring pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and second basemen Ian Kinsler. Dombrowski also traded for Steve Pearce on June 29th.

Steve Pearce was a great addition to this Red Sox team. He was a great role player and could be used at multiple positions in the infield. The Pearce addition proved to be a very important one, as he was named World Series MVP after his 3 home runs in games 4 and 5. In 50 games during the regular season with Boston, Pearce put up a .279 batting average with a .901 OPS with 7 HR and 26 RBI. During the postseason, Pearce was 11/38 for a .289 batting average, scoring 12 runs, hitting 4 home runs and driving in 11.

Ian Kinsler was a veteran move that added depth to this team and some experience off the bench. In 37 games for the Red Sox, Kinsler had a .242 batting average with a .604 OPS. Kinsler also went deep once, drove in 16 runs and scored 17 times. In the postseason, he may ultimately be remembered for his error in Game 4 of the World Series where he threw the ball away and allowed the Dodgers to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Kinsler went 7/34 for a .205 average, scored 4 runs and drove in 3. His stats may not stand out that much, but his veteran presence and ability to come off the bench in multiple situations proved helpful.

Nathan Eovaldi was probably the best acquisition for Dombrowski this season. In a trade where the Red Sox sent Jayleen Beeks back to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox may have found their newest weapon. Nathan Eovaldi was lights out for the Red Sox during his tenure in 2018.

In 12 regular season games, the right hander made 11 starts and posted a 3.33 ERA, giving up 12 walks and striking out 48 batters. Eovaldi went 3-3 for the Red Sox in the regular season. Once the playoffs came, he shifted gears and went into another level. In 6 games, he made only 2 starts. Eovaldi went 2-1, with a magnificent 1.61 ERA, giving up 3 walks and striking out 16 batters in 22.1 innings of work. His biggest highlight with the Red Sox was when he pitched 6 innings on 97 pitches in the longest World Series game ever, Game 3 against the Dodgers.

Eovaldi was a machine out of the pen and even told manager Alex Cora he was available if need be in the next game. Keeping Nathan Eovaldi should be the Red Sox biggest goal heading into this offseason, as he hits the open market and should demand a payday given his remarkable performance with the Boston Red Sox.