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A year ago, Jake Peavy was shipped to the Boston Red Sox and subsequently helped his new team win the World Series. The San Francisco Giants will be hoping he can make a similar impact in 2014. The team confirmed the news on Saturday:

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes Peavy's feelings on Bruce Bochy:

Alex Pavlocic of the San Jose Mercury News reveals why the Giants made the move now:

San Francisco traded for the 33-year-old right-hander Saturday, shipping minor league pitchers to Boston in return. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the news:

ESPN's Buster Olney reported what the Red Sox would be getting in return:

Olney also broke down how Peavy's salary would be split:

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the deal makes a lot of sense:

CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly reports that Peavy will start for the Giants almost immediately:

The Giants acquired Peavy with the intent to start him Sunday against the Dodgers at AT&T Park in place of fill-in starter Yusmeiro Petit, who had made one appearance in the rotation (five runs in five innings at Philadelphia) since the club placed Matt Cain on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. Cain's uncertain status compelled the Giants to back-burner their pursuit of a second baseman, right-handed hitting outfielder or reliever. They needed to plug a bigger hole in their rotation.

It's a typical July swap.

The Sox, toiling at the bottom of the AL East, have no need for Peavy. His two-year, $29 million deal expires at the end of the season, and unless he finishes the year with 255.1 innings pitched (read: he won't), he won't be eligible for his 2015 player option. Instead of losing him for nothing to free agency, the Sox are able to dump some of this year's salary and get a solid asset in return.



As for the Giants, they are solidifying their starting rotation for the stretch run even if Peavy has been far from razor sharp this season.

He currently owns an ERA well above 4.00 while his WHIP is the worst of his career, but he shouldn't be valued solely on those numbers. He has looked much better recently and has been through this kind of transition before.

"Having been through it twice is something that makes it quite a bit easier," said Peavy, referring to being traded midseason, via The Providence Journal's Tim Britton. "I do understand how it all works."

It certainly worked out pretty well the last time it happened. When Peavy was shipped to the Sox last July, he responded with a clinical August, compiling a 3.18 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over six starts. During that month, the Sox went from up one game in the East to up 4.5.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

He slowed down in September and October, but the veteran was crucial for the title-winning run in Boston.

Peavy isn't going to anchor his new rotation, but he doesn't need to. He will eat up innings, provide depth and experience and likely come through with some quality starts at key moments.

Although he may not be the same player who once won the Cy Young Award, he can better prepare San Francisco for a run in October. The team that just let him go will attest to that.