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. MacKenzie Weegar Panthers Jersey . -- First baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch have signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Angels. Aleksander Barkov Jersey .C. -- Ryan Sproul scored the winner late in double overtime to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat on Friday in Game 1 of their American Hockey League playoff series. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/colton-sceviour-hockey-jersey/ .com) - The 2014 Holiday Bowl is the first postseason venture pitting a pair of ranked foes against each other, as No. Jonathan Huberdeau Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. MacKenzie Weegar Jersey .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport.With elite wrestling skills and a sledgehammer for a left hand, Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks represents a real threat to UFC champion Georges St-Pierre. "Ive never fought anybody like him. But hes never fought anybody like me," St. Pierre told The Canadian Press. "So were both unique. Were going to clash and see whos the best man." For those who have followed the career of the MMA star from Montreal, its a familiar refrain. As is St-Pierres comment that while the No. 1 contender poses a lot of problems, the champion has the solution. "Im ready. Im very well-prepared. Im at my best. Im the best I can be," said St-Pierre. The world will find out Nov. 16 in Las Vegas when St-Pierre (24-2) meets Hendricks (15-1) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will mark St-Pierres 10th title defence. He lost the first, knocked out by Matt (The Terror) Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007, but reclaimed his championship belt by beating Serra two years later at UFC 83. Since then, he has defeated Jon Fitch, B.J. (The Prodigy) Penn, Thiago (Pitbull) Alves, Dan (The Outlaw) Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos (Natural Born Killer) Condit and Nick Diaz. St-Pierre has won 11 straight since that 2009 loss to Serra and currently ranks second in the UFCs pound-for-pound rankings, behind only light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones. That record and reputation has made GSP a 2-1 favourite to beat Hendricks, odds more respectful of the challenger than in many of the Canadians previous fights. A southpaw, the 30-year-old Hendricks has won six straight since dropping a decision to Rick (The Horror) Story in December 2010. And three of those wins (T.J.Waldburger, Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann) were emphatic first-round knockouts. A former NCAA champion wrestler at Oklahoma State, Hendricks registered just three takedowns in the five fights after Story. With three of those fights being short, he did not need to dig deep into his arsenal. But last time out, he landed 12 of 15 takedowns in neutralizing the striking game of Condit. According to FightMetric, St-Pierres numbers are much better than Hendricks. The champion is accurate on a UFC-record 76 per cent of his takedowns (compared to 50 per cent for Hendricks) and is successful defending them 86 per cent of the time (63 per cent for Hendricks). St-Pierres significant striking accuracy rate is 55 per cent (50 for Hendricks) while his striking defence rate is 75 per cent (58 for Hendricks).dddddddddddd Both men have beaten Josh Koscheck, a fighter who has also has good wrestling and power in his hands. Hendricks won a decision in May 2012 while St-Pierre earned decisions in August 2007 and December 2010. "They are similar but different," said St-Pierre. "He (Hendricks) is a leftie, he has a different style and different game. Its going to be a good fight. I look forward to it." Last time out against Koscheck, St-Pierre literally broke his face with a punishing jab and landed four of nine takedown attempts. St-Pierre landed 110 significant strikes to just 16 for Koscheck. The champion has prepared for Hendricks in his native Montreal. It has gone smoothly although his camp was forced to deny reports that he might be thinking of retirement after the fight. Trainer Firas Zahabi said his comments were misconstrued. Asked about the issue, the 32-year-old St-Pierre said he is planning his next fight rather than his retirement. "I always take it one fight at a time but Im happy with my life right now." He says there will be no shortage of challenges after Hendricks. "There are always going to be challenges," he said. "Im not above the sport. "Everybodys beatable and I always have to keep my head straight and stay humble and train hard." St-Pierre knows from experience. After dethroning future Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at UFC 65 in November 2006, his first title defence followed a truncated training camp marked by distractions that included family illness. He was knocked out by Serra in a shocking upset. St-Pierre has never made the same mistake again. As his training goes, so does his fighting. It has been a rough year for champions with Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos and Benson Henderson losing their title within the last 12 months. "It makes you remember no matter how great you are, no matter how good youre doing, one mistake and you lose everything," St-Pierre said. He is realistic about the target on his back. "Ive been the target since I became champion because everyone wants what you have," St-Pierre said. "And its OK. "Its hard to become champion, its even harder to stay champion. I like the challenge every time. Im very motivated." ' ' '