SI’s senior baseball writer Tom Verducci weighs in on the trade-deadline activity:

“Give the Red Sox credit. They put the heat on the Yankees. Boston hasn’t been this close to New York in the standings this late in the season since the Yankees started winning championships in the Joe Torre era. The Red Sox have definitely improved themselves, especially in the bullpen. They upped the ante on New York, and I think the Yankees got caught up in the atmosphere of holding off Boston. And the Yankees should be worried about the Red Sox. There was a little more urgency for New York to get a deal done this week than in past years.”