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With the trade deadline three hours or so in the books, the Boston Red Sox took one more stab at trying to bolster their bullpen. The Sox are very deep for their starting rotation and one of the surplus was jettisoned today in favor of getting out of the game earlier, rather than push the starters longer.

Starter of late Kason Gabbard and minor league outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre were dealt to the Texas Rangers in exchange for one Eric Gagne. How did I feel about this? I like the trade the more I thought about it. Gagne isn’t going to be a star in a bullpen of nobody’s and underachievers, he’s going to be joining an already top notch pen that won’t have to rely on him quite as much as the Rangers or the Los Angeles Dodgers did while he was in his prime. This will help the fact that he hasn't seen a game in September since 2004 because of elbow and back injuries. With Gabbard more than likely on his way back down with Curt Schilling on his way back up, he was an obvious choice and more than likely would have been anyway even if he didn’t pitch well in his last five starts.

It also helps in the fact that word was recently received after acquiring Gagne that reliever Brenden Donnelly will undergo season ending surgery on his throwing elbow. And with the meltdowns of reliever Manny Delcarmen (who was rumored to be apart of a trade with the White Sox for Jermaine Dye) and All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon over the weekend, it seems like the front office in Boston did not want to take any more chances and are serious about protecting their eight game lead in the AL East and not just willing to ride it out as they have in the past.

Gagne has been having a solid season with the Rangers and making a better comeback than most people expected him to have. I thought when he signed with the Rangers that would be the end of it. The Rangers are usually a graveyard for aging players and players on their way out. If you want to possibly kill your career, just go to Texas. Is he the end all be all of answers and the key to finishing out the season on top? I don't think so, but having him as an option on top of other great options isn't a bad thing by any stretch.

All previous sentiments aside, the idea of being able to have Josh Beckett or Daisuke Matsuzaka turn the game over to All- Star Hideki Okajima, Papelbon or Gagne is almost too much to not be thoroughly excited over. Gagne’s numbers for the season breakdown as follows. In 34 appearances and 33 1/3 innings pitched he has a 2-0 record, thrown 29 strike outs with 12 walks and has an ERA 2.16 with a 1.05 WHIP and batters only hitting .192 against him. Not another bad arm to be thrown in with the rest. From the sounds of it he’ll be primarily used as a set up man for Papelbon, but don’t be surprised if Francona gives him a crack at closing a few contests out this season. That is if Boston gets to an abundance of save situations which they have been avoiding like the plaque so far in 2007.

Boston is going to get labeled a winner today, and that’s fine with me. I’d rather sit back and watch how Francona decides to utilize his new pitcher and see how the rest of the season unfolds. This is obviously the biggest trade outside of Mark Texieria being sent to Atlanta just because of the name. We’ll have to wait and see if the impact Gagne may or may not bring on the rest of the season is as big a story as the headline grabbing trade itself. Is it going to be enough? Is this finally going to be the year that the Sox can grab the division title? More importantly, will this be a season that they can make a deep run into the playoffs and possibly the World Series again?

Today the Sox also traded already designated pitcher Joel Pinero to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash and a player to be named later.

Tonight, the Sox are back at home in Fenway Park for a three game series and Josh Beckett will get the nod for the start against Erik Bedard and the Baltimore Orioles. Beckett will be going for his 14th win on the year.