Red Sox: Top-5 trades or free agent signings of the decade

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 28: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates as his team defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-1 in Game Five to win the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 28: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates as his team defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-1 in Game Five to win the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MA – JULY 24: Shane Victorino #18 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammate Xander Bogaerts #2 after he scored against the Detroit Tigers on a Brock Holt #26 single during the third inning at Fenway Park on July 24, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

5. Shane Victorino

When Victorino signed with the Red Sox, he was a 32-year-old veteran who had made two All-Star appearances and won a World Series title with the Phillies. The outfielder signed a three-year $39 million deal with the Sox in December 2012 and went on to become a pivotal part of another successful Fall Classic side in his first year in Boston.

Victorino missed extended time in 2014 and was traded to the Angels during the 2015 season, but what he added to the 2013 Red Sox gives him a spot on this list. He was a key player in that side, finishing the regular season averaging .294 from the plate with 61 RBI.

His Boston tenure’s defining moment is clearly the Grand Slam he hit in Game Six of the ALCS against the Tigers, which sent the Sox to the 2013 World Series. Victorino also went 6-14 in the ALDS, and although he only recorded two hits in the World Series, still remains a pivotal figure in that side.

Victorino also won a Golden Glove in 2013, adding to what was a special season for him, the side and the city of Boston in a year that nobody will ever forget beyond just baseball reasons. He was only in Boston for a short period of time, but he was an extremely important piece of this Red Sox decade, and his contributions won’t soon be forgotten.

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