Red Sox trade Jon Lester to Athletics

The Red Sox have traded Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes to the Athletics for Yoenis Cespedes and a Comp Round B pick, everyone reports at once. If this is what the Red Sox wanted, it looks like the Pirates didn't really have the goods -- rather than getting prospects, the Red Sox got an outfielder they could control through 2015.

Perhaps this explains the Marlon-Byrd-to-the-Pirates rumors, which previously just sounded a little weird. Maybe the idea was to get a controllable outfielder (Byrd is controlled through 2016) and then flip him to Boston, perhaps with a prospect, for Lester.

In any case, the Pirates aren't getting Lester, since the A's just have to have every starting pitcher on the planet. This takes a lot of air out of the rumor bubble today, at least where the Pirates are concerned. And it gives them about six hours to find an upgrade elsewhere.