The Red Sox-Blue Jays Trade for Steve Pearce Somehow Won Boston a World Series and We Can't Believe it
By Thomas Carannante
How many World Series MVPs in MLB history played just 29 games after that career-defining moment before retiring? Well, we know one!
Steve Pearce came over to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in the summer of 2018, proceeded to have a three-home-run game against the New York Yankees to solidify himself as some sort of a "folk hero" (a la Sandy Leon) and then mashed in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He won MVP of the Fall Classic, played 29 games in 2019 and then promptly retired.
In June, the Boston Red Sox acquired Steve Pearce in a trade with the Blue Jays.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 29, 2018
Safe to say it worked out. pic.twitter.com/vzq5LjkN8b
The Red Sox traded Santiago Espinal and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays for Pearce and we have the most successful trash can trade in history. While Espinal has been solid in Toronto's farm system, the Red Sox, again, got a WORLD SERIES out of this.
In 50 regular season games with Boston, Pearce slashed .278/.349/.507 (that's a .901 OPS!) with 19 runs scored, seven home runs and 26 RBI. In the postseason? He was rock solid in the ALDS and ALCS in terms of getting on base, but then was a man possessed in the World Series, slashing .333/.500/1.167 with five runs scored, three home runs and eight RBI in five games.
Red Sox World Series MVP Steve Pearce is expected to announce his retirement from Baseball this offseason. pic.twitter.com/dBprOurRCs
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) September 30, 2019
His follow-up campaign after that glorious showing featured a dismal .180/.245/.258 line, and that was the end for him.
To reiterate: We have no idea how this happened or why. Red Sox fans are obviously still celebrating it, but the rest of the baseball world remains dumbfounded by this becoming a significant part of the sport's recent history.