Trade Deadline: Pirates Lose Out On Lester, Lackey
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Despite various reports and rumors over the past few days, the Pittsburgh Pirates will not have the services of Jon Lester at their disposal.
The 30-year-old ace was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Oakland Athletics Thursday morning in a bit of a surprise deal.
In addition to Lester, Oakland also acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes and cash in exchange for star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance draft pick in 2015.
So far this season, Lester is 10-7 with a 2.52 ERA and 149 strikeouts. Last year, Lester was 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in the postseason to help lead the Red Sox to a World Series title.
The return for the Red Sox falls in line with what WEEI's Rob Bradford said the team was looking for during an interview on 93-7 The Fan on Wednesday.
"They prefer a bat. They are looking for impact offensive players," Bradford said. "It's the hardest thing to find in baseball at the trading deadline, but they really, really, really want a bat back."
The Pirates also missed out on veteran right-handed starting pitcher John Lackey after he reportedly signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lackey was traded from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Joe Kelly, and outfielder Allen Craig.
For more on the Lester trade, visit CBSSports.com or CBSBoston.
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