Report: Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes traded to the Oakland Athletics for Yoenis Cespedes
By Hayden Kane
After days of furious rumors and speculation, Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester has finally been traded.
Lester is headed west. In news that broke gradually over the course of a few minutes on Thursday morning, the news became official that Lester had been traded to the Oakland Athletics. The deal turned out to be a blockbuster, as the A’s sent Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to Boston for Lester and Jonny Gomes.
With Oakland, you are talking about a team that has been seriously aggressive with mid-season trades. Here is the arduous process by which we learned of the deal (arduous by Twitter’s standards, that is).
Source: Jon Lester has been traded.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2014
Lester going to a team on the West Coast.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2014
Then Alex Speier of WEEI emerged with the details of what turns out to be a blockbuster trade.
Trying to confirm, but hearing Lester and Gomes might be moving for Cespedes
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 31, 2014
Confirmed.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 31, 2014
This past off-season the Red Sox had extended conversations with Lester about a possible contract extension. Those talks never gained momentum, however, because Boston did not want to offer more than four years and $70 million in a deal.
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Lester, meanwhile, views himself as worth a contract north of $100 million, up in the ballpark of guys like Homer Bailey (already signed) and Max Scherzer (a free agent this winter). Now he joins Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, and Sonny Gray in an Oakland rotation that is absolutely loaded and could make them the clear favorites in the American League.
Most of the trade talks surrounding Lester focused on the Red Sox getting a package of prospects for him. Instead they get a player who is a proven commodity at the big league level in Cespedes.
As for Gomes, the A’s also add a guy who is famous for his leadership in a playoff race by getting him in the deal. The Red Sox will receive a competitive balance draft pick in addition to Cespedes, according to Passan.
Happy deadline day, everybody. We’re off to a fast start.