Late Thursday night, the Red Sox addressed their need for a right-handed bat by acquiring slugger Steve Pearce from the Blue Jays. Minor-league infielder Santiago Espinal went the other way in the trade.

It did not take Pearce long to report to the Red Sox. He is already with the team and is batting cleanup in Friday night's series opener at Yankee Stadium (GameTracker).

The trade to the Red Sox completes the AL East circuit for Pearce. Once he gets into Friday's game, he will have played for all five AL East ball clubs. Here is his AL East timeline:

Most impressively, Pearce played for all five AL East teams consecutively. There were no cameos with teams in other divisions during this stretch.

"It's cool," said Pearce to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com about his AL East travels. "I was actually drafted by the Red Sox way back in the day. It's really cool I get to do something very few people have done. I'm very excited."  

How often is it that a player suits up for every team in a division? Not often at all. Pearce is only the sixth player in history to do it. Here's the list:

  • Matt Herges (NL West)
  • Cesar Izturis (NL Central)
  • Steve Finley (NL West)
  • Kelly Johnson (AL East)
  • Mark McLemore (AL West)
  • Steve Pearce (AL East)

I do not remember Steve Finley on the Rockies! But he played 43 games for them in 2007, the final season of his career. We're still waiting for someone to play for all five AL Central teams and all five NL East teams.

Hey, when you're a good player, you're wanted. Sometimes by every team in a division! Pearce joins the club Friday night.