By revisiting the Yoenis Cespedes and Jon Lester trade, it helps show us how it affected the teams today. With many Major League Baseball trades, it is difficult to form an opinion on which team involved in a trade got the best end of the deal. In many trades, there is a clear winner, but some trades do not feature a clear winner. Having another look at a deal made in the past is an interesting way to help reflect on its effects on the teams involved. In 2014, a trade between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics happened which was seen to be a blockbuster type of deal.
Revisiting the Yoenis Cespedes-Jon Lester Trade
Midway through the 2014 season, the Red Sox and the A’s completed the league renowned deal for big-hitting Cespedes to be sent to Boston and ace Lester to be sent to Oakland. Alternatively, the Red Sox got a draft pick while the A’s received cash considerations for the deal. Lester was a very highly sought-after ace back in 2014. Lester helped the Red Sox to two World Series titles in 2007 and 2013. He also earned three All-Star appearances while playing at Fenway. Cespedes’ first All-Star appearance came the year he was traded to Boston.
This trade was a bit of a wild one. The two players were in their primes at the time of the deal, but they only stayed at their new ball clubs for the 2014 season. This was a blockbuster deal which did not pan out the way that was expected for both franchises.
The Aftermath
With the deal not having a large-scale effect on either team involved, one team managed to salvage something from it. Although Cespedes and the Sox were not a perfect match, it was not a disaster. The Red Sox were able to trade Cespedes, along with Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier for the effective starting pitcher Rick Porcello. Porcello, who remains with the Red Sox today, won the 2016 American League Cy Young Award. Although Porcello had a down 2017, his performance this year has been a large part of Boston’s outstanding 2018 campaign. The Red Sox will look beyond the post-season this year, and Porcello is still a big part of their roster.
On the other side of the deal, Lester was on his way out of Oakland. Although Lester had a good 2014 season with a 16-11 record and a 2.46 ERA, he would not remain an Athletic. In the off-season, Lester would agree to a six-year, $155 million deal with the up-and-coming Chicago Cubs. He went on to help them to their first World Series victory since 1908, winning the NLCS MVP award in the process. So, this begs the question: was trading away Cespedes worth a few months of Lester? The answer is no. The A’s were a good team that year and strengthening the rotation was a must. However, the trade was not enough. Losing 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild Card game was not the perfect outcome.
Maybe it seemed like it was worth a try at the time. But they had a good thing going and taking Cespedes’ bat out of that line-up didn’t help.
