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The Oakland Athletics made another big move, and a follow-up move, before Thursdays non-waiver trade deadline, acquiring an ace lefthanded starter to bolster a rotation that was already playoff-calibre. Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. Lester, 30, was (depending on the availability of Tampa Bays David Price) possibly the premier pitcher available on the trade market, and is currently having the best year of his career, with a career-best 2.52 ERA in 21 starts. Hes also 10-7 with a 1.12 WHIP, with 149 strikeouts in 143 innings -- the first time since 2010 that Lester has struck out more than a batter per inning. This career season has come as Lester has altered his approach somewhat. Hes long had a four-pitch repertoire, but Lester has reduced his use of change-ups this year (a career-low 3.6%), while throwing more cutters (29.6%) than ever before Since 2008, Lester ranks seventh in Fan Graphs WAR (31.9), and is the 13th-ranked starting pitcher in the TSN.ca rankings, so he has the credentials of a major league staff ace and he joins an Oakland rotation that already leads the American League with a 3.32 ERA. As it stands right now, recently-acquired Jason Hammel and Jesse Chavez are left to battle for the fifth spot behind Lester, Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir and Jeff Samardzija. The As have followed up the Lester trade by dealing lefty Tommy Milone (6-3, 3.55 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 16 starts for Oakland) to Minnesota, because the As simply are too deep when it comes to starting pitching, but adding Lester isnt so much about depth as it is adding talent at the top end. Hes been a front-of-the-rotation pitcher on some World Series-winning Red Sox teams, posting a 2.11 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 76 2/3 innings in the postseason. Moving to a pitcher-friendly park in Oakland only makes Lester more appealing. Lester, who is making $13-million this season, will be a free agent at seasons end. He reportedly turned down a four-year extension with the Red Sox worth between $70-million and $80-million, as well he should. He will sign for more than that as a free agent in the offseason. There are hopes in Boston that Lester returns and signs his lucrative new deal with the Red Sox, but its tough to bank on that now that he has departed. Gomes is a 33-year-old outfielder who has some power and hits lefties well (.875 career OPS vs. LHP, compared to .722 vs. RHP), but hes struggling this year, with a .683 OPS, the second-lowest of his career. He had a terrific season (18 HR, .868 OPS, 99 GP) while playing with the As in 2012 and has a .756 OPS in 68 career games in Oakland. Gomes is earning $5-million this season and will be a free agent at seasons end. Cespedes has seen the majority of the action in left field for the As this year, and Gomes can handle a platoon role, but there was no way to reasonably expect Gomes to replace Cespedes production, so the As followed up their trade with Boston by adding Sam Fuld from Minnesota. A 32-year-old who has never had more than 346 at-bats in a season, Fuld is a strong defensive player who can run (13 for 16 in stolen base attempts this season, 50-for-66 in his career), but has typically provided little offence. That said, Fuld has been red-hot in July, posting an .894 OPS while playing 23 games for the Twins, lifting him to a .722 OPS for the season, which isnt great, but the only other time in his big-league career that hes posted better was in 2009, when Fuld had an .821 OPS in 65 games with the Cubs. Fuld, who makes $800,000 this season, can platoon with Gomes to cover left field for the As and can play any of the three spots in the outfield if needed. Its a bit of a downgrade from Cespedes, but the upgrade on the mound makes the As even heavier favourites than they were before. This deal, coming on the heels of adding Samardzija and Jason Hammel, is a blast from the As that they are in it to win it this year. The Red Sox Get: LF Yoenis Cespedes and the second pick in the competitive balance Comp B round. Cespedes, 28, is a power-hitting outfielder who has a cannon for an arm. In 365 career games, hes hit 66 home runs, with a .262 batting average and .788 OPS. He ranks eighth among left fielders in Fan Graphs WAR (2.3) and TSN.ca Player Rankings, so hes an above average starter at the position. The issue for the Red Sox, in acquiring Cespedes, is that he is only under contract through next season, making $10.5-million this year and next, before he is eligible to become a free agent. Since his production this year has little relevance for a Red Sox team that is 10.5-games out of a playoff spot, that means Cespedes brings one season of value for Boston. Certainly, if Cespedes is playing well, a contract extension could be in the cards, but in evaluating this trade, the Red Sox can only count on what they are getting today. Acquiring Cespedes is an indication that the Red Sox expect to bounce back and contend next season and hes a legitimate power bat that could help Boston contend next season, but thats a short-term play that really atypical of what teams seek when trading away pending free agents. In the As previous deal with the Cubs, for example, the centrepiece of the deal for Chicago was the As best prospect, shortstop Addison Russell, who figures to have a long-term impact when he reaches the major leagues and that provides more of a window to get results. What happens if Cespedes gets hurt next year? That could wipe out any possible value that he might provide, so there is risk to the proposition, though it comes with the safety of knowing that Cespedes is at least a bona fide major leaguer. The pick that the Red Sox receive will reportedly fall around pick 70 in next years draft. Of 60 players taken between pick 70 and 75 from 2001-2010, 10 (16.7%) are (or have been) full-time major leaguers. (The list: Dan Haren, Andrelton Simmons, Yunel Escobar, Justin Masterson, Charlie Blackmon, Jon Jay, Wade Davis, Kevin Slowey, Chris Ray, Bryan Shaw). The Twins Get: LHP Tommy Milone. 27-year-old Milone has been an effective starter for the As, going 32-22 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 80 games over three-plus seasons. His average fastball velocity (86.5 MPH) is among the slowest, so hes not going to overpower anyone, but Milone can keep hitters off balance with his breaking and off-speed stuff. He kind of has the crafty lefty repertoire, even if hes younger than the stereotype for that handle. Some of his effectiveness, however, has been due to the favourable home park in Oakland, where Milone has a 3.11 ERA (1.15 WHIP) in 37 games, compared to a 4.52 ERA (1.37 WHIP) on the road. Moving to Minnesota is likely going to cost Milone some runs. Even if hes not able to maintain his strong start to this season, Milone can join a Twins rotation that is still pretty spotty behind Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson and its an opportunity to prove he is worthy of a regular major league starting job. Making $510,000 this season, Milone isnt arbitration eligible until after next season, so hes also a bargain for Minnesota and all it cost the Twins was an outfielder that they had previously claimed on waivers from Oakland in April. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Yeezy Boost 350 Cheap Authentic . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. Yeezy Boost Cheap For Sale . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. http://www.yeezyshoesaustralia.com/. Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Authentic Yeezy Boost For Sale . Bayern winger Franck Ribery marked his league return after recovering from a cracked rib by scoring two goals and setting up two more as the league leaders inflicted the heaviest home defeat on Bremen in the Bundesliga. Yeezy Boost 500 Australia .com) - The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated balls during Sundays AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos will be without Wes Welker for the first four games of the season after the NFL said the receiver violated the leagues performance-enhancing drug policy. Normally, the league announces such violations on Monday. News of Welkers ban didnt come down until late Tuesday, after the league offices had closed and the Broncos had already finished drawing up blueprints for their opener against Indianapolis, undoubtedly with Welker playing a prominent role. ESPN first reported Welkers suspension, saying the violation had to do with amphetamines. Welker told the Denver Post in an email that he was "as shocked as everyone at todays news." He noted hes meticulous about what he puts in his body and would "never knowingly take a substance to gain a competitive advantage in any way." The 11th-year pro whos been the NFLs top slot receiver over the last decade added that he never concerned himself with the leagues drug rules but now realizes those policies "are clearly flawed." While it takes multiple violations of the leagues substance-abuse policies to trigger a suspension, a four-game ban is issued for a single violation of the NFLs ban on performance-enhancing substances. Welkers suspension will cost him roughly $706,000 in base salary. "Tonights news regarding Wes is very disappointing, but we understand the leagues authority in this area," coach John Fox said in a statement. "While its unfortunate to not have him to start the year, I have full confidence in our wide receivers and expect that group to continue playing at a high level." Welker played a key role in the two greatest statistical offences in NFL history: the 2007 New England Patriots and last years Broncos. He caught 73 passes for 778 yards and a career-high 10 TDs despite missing the last 3 1/2 games of last season. He returned for the playoffs and had 18 catches for 160 yards and a TD. Without Welker, Peyton Manning will have to lean more on speedy wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, whos played in the slot before, or tight end Jacob Tamme, who filled the role at times last year when Welker was out. Tight end Julius Thommas is also better working the middle of the field.dddddddddddd And if Sanders moves inside, that opens up playing time for rookie Cody Latimer or Bubba Caldwell opposite flanker Demaryius Thomas. "I have no doubt that Wes will remain focused on his preparations for the season and stay in excellent shape during his time away from the team," Fox said. Even before Welkers ban was issued, the Broncos were facing a daunting first month to open the season. Kicker Matt Prater has been suspended for the first four games for an alcohol-related violation of league rules and leading tackler Danny Trevathan is out for the first three games with a broken left leg. Welker will miss games against Indianapolis, Kansas City, Seattle and Arizona. All four teams won 10 or more games last season. The Seahawks and Colts both feature physical defensive backs that roughed up the Broncos receivers at the line of scrimmage in wins over Denver last season. Adept at getting open in 1-on-1 coverage and finding the holes in zones, Welker hit it off immediately with Manning last year after spending six seasons in New England with Tom Brady. Welker was excused from practices for two days last month, apparently to meet with league officials about his pending suspension. He then played in a preseason game against Houston on Aug. 23, when he sustained his third concussion since Nov. 17. Welker returned to practice Monday but declined comment afterward, saying he had to rush to a team function. His latest head injury came when he tried to duck following a catch over the middle and absorbed a helmet hit by D.J. Swearinger. Swearingers hit knocked Welker from the game and drew a 15-yard penalty and the wrath of Manning. The quarterback raced up to say some choice words to the swaggering safety, drawing his first taunting penalty of his career. He was later fined $8,268. "Obviously, Im concerned about Wes," Manning said after the game. "I didnt like seeing him come out of the game with a blow to the head. He had one of those last year that kept him out for a while." Welker will now be out of action until Oct. 12, when the Broncos visit the Jets. ' ' '