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. Cheap Air Max 97 Gold China .com) - St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have been selected as the NHLs top players for last week. Cheap Air Max 97 . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. http://www.cheapairmax97fromchina.com/ch...all-pink-china/. MLB executive Joe Torre ruled on Tuesday nights game at Wrigley Field that was called after 4 1-2 innings. The Cubs were declared the winners by a 2-0 score. Now, it is instead a suspended game that will resume at 4:05 p. Air Max 97 Cheap Mens . “Momentum is only as good as the next days starter,” the long-time Baltimore Orioles manager famously quipped. Cheap Air Max 97 Black China . - Christophe Lalancette scored a third-period goal and added the shootout winner to lead the Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 5-4 win over the Quebec Remparts in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Sunday.SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Ron Rivera said the Carolina Panthers plan to use their tight ends more in the passing game this season. The Panthers added free agent Ed Dickson this off-season to go along with Greg Olsen, giving them a pair of receiving options at tight end similar to what they had in Riveras first season in 2011 with Olsen and Jeremy Shockey. "Absolutely," Rivera said when asked if the moved was designed to replicate three years ago. "You want that double threat." The Panthers became a little too predictable when the team paired Olsen with Ben Hartsock, who was known almost exclusively for his run-blocking ability. "The way it was (last season) its like heres one guy who is your primary blocker and heres one guy thats your primary receiver," Rivera said. "Now we bring Ed Dickson in and you say, Which one is which?" Rivera likes that both Dickson and Olsen are versatile enough to block and still be downfield threats. Dickson has shown good speed in training camp and has the potential to be a big-time option in the passing game. He caught 54 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns in 2011 with the Baltimore Ravens. Dicksons numbers dropped off the past two years -- he averaged 23 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown per season -- but the Panthers view the fourth-year veteran as a big pickup. Rivera believes Dickson will be a perfect complement to Olsen when the Panthers go to two-receiver sets because it will create mismatches. It worked in 2011. Olsen and Shockey combined for 82 receptions for 995 yards and nine touchdowns that season -- Cam Newtons first at quarterback. The Panthers didnt re-sign Shockey in 2012, instead adding Hartsock to the mix. Hartsock didnt catch a pass last seasoon.dddddddddddd. Olsen, however, had a career season with a team-high 73 receptions for 816 yards and six touchdowns. "We are trying to do those things that we did when we were first here," said Rivera, who is entering his fourth season with the Panthers. "Last year Olsen led us in receptions, so what can we do if we have another vertical threat tight end?" Dickson signed a one-year deal with the Panthers in part because he could play with Newton and Olsen. "It was an easy decision for me," Dickson said. Carolina also added free agent tight end Mike McNeill, who is primarily a blocker, to go along with young prospects Brandon Williams and D.C. Jefferson. Rivera said earlier in camp that tight end could be the toughest position on the team to make cuts this summer. "We have five tight ends we really like," Rivera said. The Panthers are also hoping the tight end position eases some of the pain of parting ways with their top four wide receivers this off-season. Carolina released Steve Smith, the franchises career leader in receptions, yards receiving and touchdowns, and allowed Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn Jr. and Domenik Hixon to leave via free agency. Carolina added free agents Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Tiquan Underwood and drafted Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State, but the group has been an easy target for critics who feel the team didnt do enough to restock and doesnt have a legitimate No. 1 receiver. "Its kind of been the story line of the off-season," Olsen said. "Any time the Panthers have come up thats kind of been the first comment made by everybody. I think guys are just kind of tired of it. I think we feel confident about our group." ' ' '