Red Sox ace Jon Lester has been traded, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The A’s appear to have a deal for Lester, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. WEEI’s Alex Speier adds that he’s trying to confirm, but he hears Lester and Jonny Gomes might be traded for Yoenis Cespedes.
MeowMeow
Frowning real hard guys D:
PittsburghPirates0022
Hope it’s the pirates
MB923
Oh Mystery Team
MeowMeow
I hope we get their top prospect, John Doe.
Donskoy
I’ve met his wife, though Mary Sue wasn’t very memorable.
mlbaustin
That’s the mistress. His wife is Jane, everybody knows that.
Pei Kang
I say it’s the Padres!
bobbleheadguru
No! Really? Who?
Timothy Gager
Helpful.
Tissue Price
This might push Unknown Team over the top. They’ll certainly hope to beat Division Rivals to the pennant now.
evanphilly
The Nippon Ham Fighters! No one saw this coming!
zig8100
Ill say either SF Giants or Dodgers
MB923
Were the Giants ever in on him? (Also last I heard Dodgers were out, but you never know with them)
MB923
Now he says it’s a West Coast team
zig8100
Im good lol
zig8100
Ship him are far away as possible is the only way they would of done it.
Donskoy
I’ll take a shot in the dark and say the Brewers.
No reasoning outside they’re competing.
BVHjays
West coast team. Oakland?
MB923
Passan just said now it’s a team on the West Coast.
Tissue Price
Can we buy a vowel?
onemanrevival
At least one A
northsfbay
Tissue. LOL
evanphilly
Oakland!
DempseyK
Pirates are playing on west coast tonight…maybe the report was confused?
onemanrevival
Unfortunately, so are the Cardinals
BrettLawriesnewesttattoo
West coast mystery team? It’s the Portland Mavericks.
MadmanTX 2
The Lakers or Clippers?
Remember92
Billy Beane at it again? Or did Jack Z sell his soul?
mattbennett_22
Refresh, refresh, refresh
BVHjays
Looks like it’s Oakland. Can’t really figure out how they make this work though.
sourbob
Heyman says it’s “probably” Oakland. If this is true, I love it, because it means the three most sought after SPs actually traded ALL went to the A’s. Also, it’s great because Lester will definitely hit free agency.
onemanrevival
If it’s Oakland, I’d lay money Tommy Milone is going somewhere. C’mon Buccos, grab Tommy!
Totes_McGoats
Don’t worry man, Lester said he’s willing to re-sign with the Sox at the end of the year…this is just a 2 month rental for whoever got him.
OhioSox 2
I don’t think he will be back based on Henry’s comments about over 30 year olds being all overpaid, or something like that.
MB923
They are saying it’s Dodgers or A’s. Assuming it’s Oakland, how the heck can the A’s pull this off? Man oh man this team had BOTTOM 5 farm in the majors going into the season and they got 2 frontline pitchers via trade?
Chris Lattier
their High A team (Stockton) has a pretty good infield w/ prospects on the rise. Getting a few of those guys would be a good deal for the Red Sox.
MB923
Well it wasn’t even a minor leaguer so that explains it. It was for Cespedes.
Christian Ryle
No not the As. They unstoppable if its true
selw0nk 2
Cespedes for Lester and Comes 🙁
BrettLawriesnewesttattoo
that’s crazy…
Baloo
Not sure I like this one for the A’s if it’s true. Cespedes was a big part of that lineup…
Nathan Boley
Lester for Cespedes. Speier reporting.
Guest 3665
I’m glad we got Addison Russell and Billy McKinney before the BoSox could. Theo/Jed making a trade early was fantastic because it eliminated a near deadline bidding war.
DodgersMavericksCowboysMadrid
Theo keeps conning everybody. Look at Hammels his luck ran out already. But Theo forgot Travis Wood. He kept him for too long now his luck has run too. ERA of over 5
MB923
Wow, Cespedes and Gomes for Lester
Thechairman66
Wow…good for Billy Beane
John Kreese
After Hammel’s outing yesterday the A’s must have stepped up their offer. Lester for Milone & another piece?
Rarth
The Astros make a marquee trade for that final push! One day we’ll be in this position…But seriously I can’t imagine what the A’s have of value to give for Lester. Farm system is really weak and I can’t imagine Nunez and Olson would get a deal done.
bobbleheadguru
Cespedes has been a nightmare for the Tigers. On the other hand, Tigers beat Red Sox with Lester starting in the ALCS.
I will take my chances with Lester v. Scherzer in Game 1 of the ALCS. A wash as a Tigers fan.
Was it worth it?
Metsfan93
Every time someone says Oakland is supposedly gearing up for Detroit makes me want to see Detroit lose early that much more.
mantistoboggan47
That is Oakland you are thinking of. Detroit usually makes it to the ALCS before losing.
Carl Langley
Lester, Samardzija, Kazmir, and Gray. That is quite the playoff rotation.
mattbennett_22
Cespedes???
ugotrpk3113
Wowzers. If they flipped Lester for that, A+++
selw0nk 2
Not Cespedes for Lester and Gomes
Travis2014
Haha good job Beane. Cespedes is overrated, but wow that is quite the price to pay for a rental.
Quikmix
cespedes for a guy who has already said he’d go back to boston in free agency? wow.
Mikenmn
it’s probably true. The Boston Globe is ridiculing Lester’s credentials pre-2014 today, so I would imagine they are serving as a key part of the Red Sox PR department. Boston may be a great place to play, but it’s a hard place to leave with your dignity intact.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
yeah this is something totally under boston’s control that isn’t pretty about them. I can remember back to Clemens where he was ridiculed because he didn’t just take whatever boston offered and the papers (fed by the team) skewered him for not being competitive and allowing himself to get overweight in addition to of course only being about the money.
at least in baseball boston eats its young. And I lived in MA for about 8 years and went to pawsox games.
MeowMeow
What on earth is going on with this deal. O_o
Greg Smith
They asked the Bucs for Cutch and Pedro…
WrigleyTerror37
Hell no why cespedas as what are you doing
max l
LOL they gave up Cespedes for a rental when they already had a pretty good rotation in place?? That’s crazy!
anon_coward
pretty good won’t do it against the Tigers
anon_coward
if true, awesome move by the Red Sox. no chance in hell Lester signs with the A’s as a free agent
Baloo
Billy Beane being REALLY aggresive for that WS push.
d-blaqueqq
It’s now or never.
mstrchef13
I can’t see what Oakland has left in terms of upper echelon prospects that is better than what other teams were offering. I also can’t see how this makes Oakland better than getting a real second baseman would have.
Greg Smith
How about Cespedes as a top-level prospect?
d-blaqueqq
A+ for Ben if renting out Lester and throwing in Gomes gets the Sox the beast that is Cespedes.
mantistoboggan47
He is not the second coming of Manny Ramirez. Still a pretty good trade.
d-blaqueqq
Yeah, this was before looking at his contract. Fairly even trade now.
mstrchef13
Never thought the A’s would trade their most recognizable offensive player.
Greg Smith
Seriously, Billy Beane has got to have them like grapefruit…
DerekJeterDan
I shudder to think of Cespedes hitting Bombs in Fenway.
Riaaaaaa
against us…this weekend…
Mikenmn
It it’s Cespedes, I cannot imagine what Beane is thinking.
mantistoboggan47
He’s thinking about a book and a movie that claim he is a good GM even though he has never won anything. Now is about the last and only chance.
TRAPstar
I wonder what the Pirates’ and Cardinals’ Top offers were. Weren’t they the front-runners for the last couple days?
timpa
Cespedes is immediate return and knowing what you get. I’m not sure any deal based around a prospect can beat that. Boston has a lot of prospects to bring up and work in, Cespedes is at least a known quantity.
Red Socks
Neither were offering a proven power bat, that’s for sure.
TRAPstar
Definitely props to Ben Cherington on this trade
Billy Andrews
If that is true that might be one of the most bone headed trades of the year. Cespedes makes highlight plays almost every night. With out him in the line up Donaldson loses protection so it makes the line up weaker all around. A goo bat makes the 2 players in front and behind him better for a pitcher when pitching is not your problem. If this is true I really do not get this
bobbleheadguru
Beat Verlander. That is what this is about.
d-blaqueqq
“Per Yahoo’s Jeff Passan:
Boston also getting a competitive balance draft pick from Oakland. Boston will send cash to the A’s.”
Mark Smith
Right, like the A’s can afford to trade Cespedes for pitching. He’s a huge part of their offense. This trade would definitely destroy them in the playoffs.
anon_coward
i’m sure they have enough computer power to simulate their chances for the post season against every team they have left to play as well as potential DS and CS opponents
good pitchers give up hits and runs and its usually not random