Red Sox kick off their trade deadline with deal for James Paxton

One year ago, James Paxton seemed to be the name surfaced the most when it came to the Red Sox and the trade deadline.

He was fresh off a six-inning gem against the Mets, lowering the lefty's ERA to 3.46 with a .198 batting average against. His team was also two games out of a wild card spot, with the expectation that Paxton might actually be putting himself in position to secure a qualifying offer at year's end.

So, when the deadline rolled around just more than a week later, all eyes were on what the Red Sox would do in regards to Paxton.

"It was weird. I had never been traded in the middle of the season, so to have my name thrown out there was definitely a weird experience to go through.

"I remember we were in Seattle at the trade deadline and I think it was pretty close, right until the end there. Cora came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re staying here.’ I said, ‘Great. Sounds awesome.’ That was pretty much it. I really didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t focused on it too much. It was out of my control."

Paxton stayed, and things didn't go as planned, for the player or the team. The Red Sox did little at the deadline and fell out of the race, while the veteran southpaw pitched seven more times to the tune of a 6.68 ERA. A knee injury would end Paxton's season after his Sept. 1 start.

Now, Paxton is back with the Red Sox as part of the trade deadline moving and shaking.

The Red Sox announced they have traded for the lefty in exchange for 17-year-old minor league infielder Moises Bolivar.

The move always seemed like a logical considering the Sox made a strong push to keep Paxton in the offseason before he prioritized staying on the West Coast. Alex Cora's club is also in need of a reliable starter that would help it get to the finish line.

While his ERA sits at 4.43 over 18 starts, in five outings against American League teams, Paxton has gone 3-0 with a 3.16 ERA (9 ER/25.2 IP), with the Dodgers winning each of those games. In eight of his starts, the left-hander has thrown at least 5.0 innings and allowed two runs or fewer.

In the conversation a week ago, Paxton talked about the importance of making a move at the deadline (which now the Red Sox have done thanks to the starter).

"It’s interesting," Paxton said. "I don’t think it changes what you’re doing day to day. You want to support all the guys who are in the locker room with you, so you’re ready to go to battle with those guys. That being said when a team goes out and makes a move to get a big-time player you really know, ‘Hey, we’re doing this thing. Let’s go!’ Whereas if you’re getting rid of guys, if you’re in that position, you’re kind of like, ‘OK, I don’t know where this is heading.’ It doesn’t mean you’re going to stop fighting. You’re always going to fight. But it just kind of makes you aware of where the team thinks you are.

"I think it’s really important for teams to know their team, and more than just the numbers on a piece of paper. I think you have to know the guys who hold a team together."

Now they are counting on Paxton being one of those guys.