Jon Lester Trade: Oakland A’s legitimize World Series run

If the Oakland Athletics’ starting pitching rotation wasn’t scary enough after they acquired Jeff Samardzija earlier this month, then adding in a dominant lefty with two World Series rings makes the A’s starting rotation terrifying.

Oakland acquired ace left-hander Jon Lester from the Red Sox on Thursday for the A’s Yoenis Cespedes, a move that works perfectly for both parties, primarily Oakland who is in a World Series chase.

Before acquiring Lester, Oakland had the best starting rotation in the American League, boasting a combined 3.32 ERA and have recorded 46 of the team’s MLB-leading 66 wins.  The 46 wins by the A’s starters are also most by any starting rotation in the American League.

The A’s have lost back-to-back ALDS series to a then-better pitching staff in the Detroit Tigers in their return to October baseball the past two years.

Enter the three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion left-hander Lester.

Lester arrives in Oakland with a 10-7 record and a current career-low 2.52 ERA and 149 strikeouts.  He is on-pace to strikeout about 200 batters this season, which would mark the first time he’s done so since 2010, when he struck out 225.  Only Scott Kazmir has a better ERA than Lester in the A’s rotation (2.37) and only he and the young right-hander Sonny Gray have more wins than Lester (12).

Lester is 5-1 in his last 10 starts and hasn’t lost a start since June 7 (ironically against Detroit).  He will give the A’s bullpen some relief as Lester has pitched six or more innings in his last eight starts, including going eight innings in three of his last five starts.

His 110 career wins with the Red Sox are the most wins by any pitcher the Sox have traded since Cy Young (192) in 1909.

But what nobody in the Oakland rotation has that Lester brings is valuable postseason experience, especially World Series experience, something the A’s desperately need if they’re going to go all the way in October.

Lester has a career 6-4 record in 13 postseason appearances (11 starts) with a 2.11 ERA with 68 strikeouts.  Most importantly for Oakland, Lester is 2-1 in three ALDS appearances with a 1.63 ERA and is an undefeated 3-0 in three World Series appearances with a 0.43 ERA, the lowest ERA by any starting pitcher who has pitched a minimum of 20 innings in World Series history.

During Boston’s World Series run last season, Lester pitched 7 2/3 innings in Games 1 and 5 of the Fall Classic, allowing just one run on a combined nine hits while striking out 15.  Lester has been on a roll ever since.

The goal of the game is run differential, either scoring more runs than your opponent, or making sure you’re opponent doesn’t score more than you.

The A’s just about got Lester at a bargain, despite trading a fan favorite in Yoenis Cespedes.

Oakland acquired one of the best postseason pitchers for a hitter in Cespedes who was just hitting .256 with 17 home runs and 67 RBI.  With Cespedes, the A’s lineup was only hitting .253 as a team (ninth-best in the AL).  He’s yet to touch the .300 batting average mark and has floated around the .250 mark for the past year and a half.  The A’s lineup has been able to cover Cespedes struggles with their consistent success at the plate.   The A’s lead the AL in runs scored (535) and are third in the AL in on-base percentage (.329).

Remember, in order to buy wins, you have to buy runs, and in order to score runs, you have to get on base.  But you also have to score more runs than your opponent, thus needing quality pitching, something the A’s have had all season so far and something they’ve needed in the postseason.

The Lester trade by Beane is typical Moneyball, this time around with a little bit of a bigger wallet and with better talent overall.

Now Beane has to hope that his moves can make the small-market Athletics and big-time World Series champion.