The Red Sox starting pitching got a heck of a lot better over the trading deadline.

I know what you’re saying; “Panos has flipped his lid again. The Sox didn’t acquire a starter. They didn’t call up Clay Buchholz. Curt Schilling won’t be back till Sunday. And Julian Tavarez has to start once more now that Kason Gabbard is gone. How is that improvement?” Well, let me tell you;

Remember when the ’96 Yankees had Mariano Rivera as a setup man with John Wetteland closing? Basically, if New York had a lead entering the 8th inning, the game was over. The Bronx Bombers also had that to some extent when Rivera was the closer and Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Stanton were still in their prime as setup guys.

Well, the acquisition of Eric Gagne could very well mean that on some nights, the game will be over when Boston’s Boys of Summer lead after six frames. When all three are rested, Terry Francona can then turn the ball over to Hideki Okajima in the 7th, Gagne in the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th. Nine times out of ten (if not more), that spells victory. And that is quite a security blanket for Francona and the guys taking the mound in the first inning because in essence, you've strengthened the front end by reinforcing the backside of your staff.

The biggest weakness of most teams in this day and age is what happens in the 7th and 8th innings. Most clubs have someone to work the 9th, but getting there is the hard part. Managers must choose between leaving a tiring starter in there and bringing in a fresh arm to bridge that gap to the closer. So what you end up with is a pitcher running on fumes or an inferior arm entering the game, often with runners on base in a crucial situation. Now, Sox starters can go all out for as long as they can, secure in the knowledge that they don’t have to save a few bullets for later on. That alone will make Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester and Schilling better pitchers, not to mention making Francona the same “genius” Joe Torre was in the ‘90’s.

A couple of other quickies on the trade: I love Gagne…thought the Sox should have signed him over the winter and made him the closer instead of experimenting and finally turning back to Papelbon. At the very least, you now have a stud closer on the nights Little Papi can’t go, which will keep him healthy and fresh come October.

The other thing the trade does is show your current players that you’ve got their back. Theo Epstein did nothing at the deadline in 2005 & 2006, and the team responded in kind. By bringing in the biggest name available other than Mark Texeira, Theo just showed his guys he believes they’re championship caliber, and he’s willing to go all-out to get them another ring. The fact he gave up very little to add Gagne makes the deal that much better.

What do you think of the Gagne trade? Should Epstein have done even more, especially to bring in another bat?