The Boston Red Sox have found the trade partner they were looking for in the Oakland Athletics. Boston was looking to trade starting left-handed pitcher Jon Lester for an upgrade in their outfield. Oakland had an overflow of outfield depth and though pitching has been the A’s strongest asset, they have not been able to go as deep into the postseason as they had hoped in past years.
Oakland is hoping that Lester will be able to help them hold on to the division title for a third consecutive year while holding the Los Angeles Angels at bay. Lester is in the middle of a career year with a 10-7 record, 2.52 ERA (Earned Run Average), 2.62 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), 1.119 WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched). He is a free agent at the end of the 2014 season, and Boston knows that Oakland’s funds are limited so it is not likely that he will re-sign with the A’s.
The Red Sox also sent outfielder Jonny Gomes to Oakland for his second stint with the team. In 78 games with Boston in 2014, Gomes has scored 22 runs, with seven doubles, six home runs, and 32 runs batted in. He holds a .234/.329/.354/.683 slash line this season. He was a catalyst in the Oakland clubhouse in 2012 during the A’s “surprise” postseason run. Even though he may not be a perennial All-Star, he has high value to the scrappy team that Oakland General Manager Billy Beane has compiled.
Boston has acquired the 2013 and 2014 MLB Home Run Derby Champion, Yoenis Cespedes, in return for Lester and Gomes. Red Sox fans are just salivating at the number of bombs that will be blasted over the monster now. Cespedes holds a slash line of .256/.303/.464/.767 in 2014 with 26 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, and 67 runs batted in.
The “Swingin’ A’s” will miss Cespedes’ presence in the lineup. Since his arrival in the clubhouse in 2012, Oakland has had a winning record with Cespedes’ bat. Without him in the lineup, the Athletics have struggled offensively. So can the A’s produce enough runs now that their biggest bat is gone? Or does Billy Beane have some magic left up his sleeve to add another big bat?
Remember when the Minnesota Twins selected outfielder Sam Fuld off waivers from the Athletics in April? Billy Beane likes Fuld so much that after he added Lester to his starting rotation, he traded right-handed pitcher Tommy Milone (6-3, 3.55 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.21 WHIP) to Minnesota to reacquire the outfielder. Yes, the A’s have a stacked outfield of Coco Crisp, Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick, Jonny Gomes, Craig Gentry, and again Fuld. But manager Bob Melvin is good at rotating his players throughout the season.
Oakland’s rotation looks strong and mighty. Beane has vowed to not let his team be beat by the Detroit Tigers in the postseason again after falling two consecutive years to the same two pitchers, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. But before they can focus on defeating the Tigers, the “Swingin’ A’s” must focus on holding down the Angels, who are only 2.5 games back.
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