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dagger wrote:[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/494842047900446721[/tweet]

Wow! I find this utterly shocking!

Is Cespedes expiring too? I'd thought they'd locked him up long term, so really surprised to see him go in this deal, especially in the middle of a pennant race.

So different than the trades we're used to seeing mid-season. This is like an old fashioned player for player deal.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/494843446809485312[/tweet]

What the ****?!?!

Doesn't Cespedes have another year on his contract plus two more arb eligible seasons before FA? Jesus Chris that's an absolute steal for the Sox. I can't believe they got such a good major leaguer for two months of Lester who they still might be able to sign in FA. Wow...this is crazy.

I guess the A's are sick of losing to the Tigers, but holy hell is that a price to pay.

Santoki wrote:What the ****?!?!

Doesn't Cespedes have another year on his contract plus two more arb eligible seasons before FA? Jesus Chris that's an absolute steal for the Sox. I can't believe they got such a good major leaguer for two months of Lester who they still might be able to sign in FA. Wow...this is crazy.

I guess the A's are sick of losing to the Tigers, but holy hell is that a price to pay.

You have to wonder if they have another deal lined up after this...as they just lost a big bat from the middle of their lineup. You'd think they'd want to replace that if at all possible.

Wow did not see this coming. Good trade for both teams, although I think Cespedes is a bit overrated and the A's have a ton of offence and lots of guys who can play in the outfield (Moss, Crisp, Vogt, Reddick, Gomes, etc.)

Apparently Cespedes can be an FA after next season

Yeah that's a great deal for the Red Sox. Cespedes should do a lot better at Fenway, and he has one more year on his current deal plus two arbitration years after that. If they re-sign Lester after the season, it is highway robbery.

Beane is not messing around. Lester, Gray, Kazmir, and Shark will be tough to beat, but they need to replace Cespedes now.

Michael Bradley wrote:Yeah that's a great deal for the Red Sox. Cespedes should do a lot better at Fenway, and he has one more year on his current deal plus two arbitration years after that. If they re-sign Lester after the season, it is highway robbery.

Beane is not messing around. Lester, Gray, Kazmir, and Shark will be tough to beat, but they need to replace Cespedes now.

If they move Vogt to the outfield full-time against righties and then have Gomes go against lefties you're getting at least equal offensive production to Cespedes. Probably better.

Michael Bradley wrote:Yeah that's a great deal for the Red Sox. Cespedes should do a lot better at Fenway, and he has one more year on his current deal plus two arbitration years after that. If they re-sign Lester after the season, it is highway robbery.

Beane is not messing around. Lester, Gray, Kazmir, and Shark will be tough to beat, but they need to replace Cespedes now.

Those starters are

BILLY JUST WENT ALL IN. Look out, AL.

I don't see how this makes the As better, but Beane is a smarter man than I am.

dagger wrote:Apparently Cespedes can be an FA after next season

BBRef had him having two arby years left after 2015, but Cot's says "may become Article XX(B) free agent after 2015 season".

That makes it a bit more plausible for the A's, and a lot worse for the Sox, but they still had one more year of control. Maybe Beane didn't like the low OBP.

distracted wrote:I don't see how this makes the As better, but Beane is a smarter man than I am.

Pitching wins championships. They are absolutely stacked now and still the deepest offensive team in the AL. It's a phenomenal win now move for them. They are sick of just making the playoffs. They want the ship. If I'm an A's fan I'd want to go for it as well. If it backfires, he's going to look bad but Beane has never cared what anyone else has thought. He's just missing that ring to solidify his career. This is the best shot he'll ever have at it.

damn.. The Red Sox made a great baseball trade here
Cespedes if they sign him long term... is going to be tough playing them for years to come ...

That makes me very happy. It's not like OAK getting better hurts (if those words come back to haunt me, I think in the long run I can live with that) and Cespedes isn't a prospect who'll become a star, he's just the guy who they'll pay in a year. That doesn't mean it's bad for BOS at all, but they were going to pay someone that money and Cespedes isn't a piece that lets them allocate more money to fewer spots, he's just a younger, safer guy to splurge on than typical UFAs.

The only part I find mystifying is that now Hammel is their 6th starter. Why trade for a 6th starter?

yeah no arb for Cespedes - he'll become an outright FA after next year, but obviously the Sox win this trade damn them. Nice park though for Lester to pitch in for the next two months.

distracted wrote:I don't see how this makes the As better, but Beane is a smarter man than I am.

They got a top 5 pitcher in baseball and a player who can still hit lefties well for an average (albeit flashy) outfielder.

Wow Oakland.

The A's now have Chavez, Milone, Hammel, Straily, and Pomeranz as #5 starter options. I could see them flipping at least one or two for offensive help. Beane knows what he is doing.

With Cespedes only having a year left instead of three, that really changes things from the way I saw it earlier. Boston may have been better off going for prospects. Cespedes is good but I don't want to be the team that pays a .300 OBP player free agent money, which the Sox will have to do after 2015. Though I do expect him to hit much better at Fenway. He wasn't meant for Oakland's park.