Yoenis Cespedes to Red Sox: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

Updates from Saturday, August 2

Ian Browne of MLB.com reports that Cespedes will make his debut in left field on Saturday:

Original Text

The first blockbuster of MLB trade deadline day is reportedly complete. The Boston Red Sox are set to acquire outfielder Yoenis Cespedes from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for starting pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes.

The Red Sox announced the details of the trade:

Alex Speier of WEEI initially broke word of the deal:

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports filled out the details:

Passan also spoke about the possibility of another trade coming prior to the deadline:

David Ortiz spoke about the trade on Twitter:

The Red Sox had been looking for an impact bat and Lester was one of the most talked about players on the trade market in recent weeks. Nobody made the connection with Cespedes, however, as his name was not active in rumors.

Given the fact Lester is scheduled to become a free agent at the season's end while the talented Cuban outfielder is under team control for another season, it's quite a coup for the Red Sox. It was unclear how much they could get for a potential rental.

Susan Slusser speaks about why the A's thought process:

John Hickey of the Bay Area Media Group notes that the A's had been attempting to trade Cespedes for some time now:

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle provided another possible reason Oakland made Cespedes available:

However, Jane Lane of MLB.com provided insight into how the A's have performed with and without Cespedes in the lineup:

The Red Sox have fallen out of the playoff race, which means losing Lester for the rest of the season isn't a major setback. Adding a building block like the two-time defending Home Run Derby champion is a step in the right direction for the future.

He's hitting .256 with 17 home runs through 101 games. Boston would like to see his on-base percentage increase from its current .303 closer to the .356 mark from his rookie season, but he still represents a good haul for Lester and Gomes.