With the trade deadline approaching, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow identified three areas of need. A starting pitcher, bullpen help and a right-handed bat.

Friday afternoon, Breslow wasted no time checking the first item off the list.

The Red Sox acquired James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers, reuniting with the veteran left-hander less than a year after the 35-year-old signed with the Dodgers in free agency this past offseason following two years in Boston. Paxton had just been designated for assignment by Los Angeles after starting against the Red Sox this past Sunday, and while Breslow wouldn’t rule out further rotation additions, he acknowledged that getting at least one was a priority.

“We didn’t want to walk out of the deadline without adding a starting pitcher,” Breslow said. “So we’re glad we’ve done that, especially at this point.”

To acquire Paxton the Red Sox gave up minor league infielder Moises Bolivar, a 17-year-old who the club signed as an international free agent earlier this year, and to clear space on the roster they also placed right-hander Bryan Mata on the 60-day injured list. The Red Sox aren’t sure when exactly Paxton will make it out from the west coast to join the club in Boston, or when and where he’ll slot into the rotation, but when he arrives he’ll give Boston a proven arm to fortify the starting rotation, one who appears to have put the past few years of injury struggles behind him.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’s happy to have Paxton back, noting that he looked as good as he has all season last Sunday before he was DFA’d.

“We know him. Stuff-wise throughout the season I think the velo of the fastball has been down, but not last week. I think he ended up on a good note, velocity was up, threw strikes with the offspeed pitches,” Cora said. “He’s a guy we know physically, (the trainers), they understand what they have to do for him to post every five or six days.”

Before he was cut by the Dodgers, Paxton had been one of only two starters to make every start for Los Angeles this season. He’d posted a 4.43 ERA in 89.1 innings over 18 starts, but he’d also been plagued by inconsistency, walking an NL-high 48 batters.

Even still, Paxton was immediately appealing to the Red Sox, particularly given the fact that he gives the Red Sox a left-handed starting option.

“I think the chance out to balance out the right-handed/left-handed imbalance is helpful,” Breslow said. “And again, a guy who has made almost 20 starts this season and thrown close to 100 innings I think provides a fresh look and we’re excited to have him.”

“It’s very important. It’s not that we need a lefty, but bullpen-wise it helps,” Cora said. “Sometimes you run into those lineups like today they’ve got a bunch of lefties. Yeah we have three lefties in the bullpen but at one point during the week you have to rely on something else. I think having him is going to help us to mix and match and help us be better over the course of the week.”

Even before acquiring Paxton, Breslow had already signaled his intention to buy at the trade deadline. Friday he indicated that the Red Sox aren’t done and that the club is well positioned to take advantage of any other opportunities that come along between now and Tuesday.

“We have guys that I think are very capable on the team right now, we also have a strong system that enables us to operate from areas of surplus,” Breslow said. “We have to be willing to make some of those tough decisions because I think this team has put themselves in a place where if we have a chance to add, a chance to improve, we should do so.”