The Boston Red Sox kicked off Thursday's trade deadline day with a huge move, sending ace Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes to the American League West-leading Oakland A's in return for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
Of course Lester and Cespedes are the principle pieces in this blockbuster trade, but Gomes is a vastly overlooked commodity in this deal. How could a .234 hitter, with just six home runs and 32 RBI, who has been a defensive liability his whole career, be the key to a trade involving stars?
Jon Lester's rental status makes risk Billy Beane took too great?
Quite simply, he's half of replacing Cespedes' production. While his surface numbers are kind of an eyesore, a dive into his splits (and not a particularly deep one), reveals a .302 batting average against left-handed pitching. Four of his six homers came against southpaws, and his on-base percentage vs. lefties is sitting at .400.
Acquiring Gomes means he can platoon in right or left field with Josh Reddick and Brandon Moss, both of whom mash against right-handed pitching, and voila, Cespedes' big power has been replaced.
Winners and losers of 2014 MLB Trade Deadline
Of course it's not so simple. Not one of Gomes, Moss or Reddick can actually replace a player like Cespedes, whose contributions go beyond hitting home runs. While this trio will get on base more than Cespedes did, he's more capable of hitting elite pitching than these players are, and he played excellent defense in the outfield with arguably the league's best arm.
Still, if Oakland can reproduce his numbers with cheaper players, while adding a bona fide ace to an already-strong rotation, it is a move that appears less shocking. Later in the day, the Detroit Tigers added David Price to their rotation, giving them the past three AL Cy Young winners.
The A's won't blink if they have to face Detroit in the playoffs though-the Oakland may have less accolades, but it can certainly hold up against the Tigers. The real question is whether the likes of Gomes, Moss and Reddick will be able to continue combining for production in October, when the pitching quality is ramped up.
If so, the trade becomes a slam dunk for Oakland, and another victory for Moneyball. If not, then they may have traded a star for an expensive rental.
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