04/19/24
July 31, 2014
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
According to reports, the Red Sox/A's have made a blockbuster deal:
Lester and Gomes for Cespedes
posted by grum@work at 09:58 AM on July 31, 2014
posted by BornIcon at 10:08 AM on July 31, 2014
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posted by BornIcon at 10:08 AM on July 31, 2014
posted by Bonkers at 10:54 AM on July 31, 2014
Lester and Gomes for Cespedes
Which is how it's going to be screamed about locally, but it's hard to evaluate it without seeing where Lester ends up next year. As it stands, it's an interesting bet by the A's in a year without a dominant team. If the Red Sox manage to re-sign Lester, this seems like a pretty good deal: trade a couple of months of Lester for a season of Cespedes who provides a right-handed power bat in the outfield which the Sox currently lack and don't have an obvious prospect to fill right away. Re-sign Cespedes if he turns out to be something more than a 3 WAR player or let him go for a pick at the end of 2015.
Jonny Gomes doesn't enter into the calculation as far as I can see. I'm guessing they couldn't find a panic buyer willing to give up something useful for a platoon player who's a defensive liability.
posted by yerfatma at 11:21 AM on July 31, 2014
I wonder if/hope the FA will take a stronger position on Morrison than the wusses at the NFL did on Rice.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:55 AM on July 31, 2014
let [Cespedes] go for a pick at the end of 2015.
Nope.
His contract states that he is a free agent at the end of 2015, and no qualifying offer can be made (and therefore no pick if he signs somewhere else).
posted by grum@work at 12:01 PM on July 31, 2014
Ah, that changes the math a bit then. But only if they don't re-sign Lester.
posted by yerfatma at 12:06 PM on July 31, 2014
More math changes: Sox deal John Lackey to St. Louis for Kelly, Craig. Must be trying to get rid of the Pink Hats entirely. (Kelly, Craig)
And the A's traded their competitive balance pick to the Sox. Why am I hearing about these all of a sudden but only in the context of small-market teams trading them to large-market teams? And if they can be traded, why won't MLB get rid of the silly restriction on trading normal picks?
posted by yerfatma at 12:49 PM on July 31, 2014
If it's true, the Tigers just picked up David Price.
That would mean they would have the last three American League Cy Young winners (Scherzer, Price, Verlander) and last year's ERA leader (Sanchez).
If it's an Oakland/Detroit American League championship series, then I'd peg the over/under line for total runs scored per game at something like 4.5
posted by grum@work at 04:05 PM on July 31, 2014
Tigers and Orioles know this is their best chance for success. Sox have entered the rebuilding process, Yankees have to deal with the Jeter fair well tour then shed a bunch of older talent somehow next year, and the normally steady Rays have hit a blip. American League is up for grabs for the first time in a decade.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:44 PM on July 31, 2014
Ravel Morrison may have finally secured a permanent place in Manchester like he always wanted.
"With all due respect to them, I said to him that he was too good for Arsenal." — Steven Gerrard with a Scouse goodbye to Luis Suarez