At the 2014 MLB trade deadline the two biggest deals of the day involved pitching. The Oakland A's dealt power hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox for ace Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes.
The Detroit Tigers responded with their own blockbuster-they acquired Rays ace David Price in a three-team deal that sent Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners and Drew Smyly to Tampa Bay.
Was Jonny Gomes the key to Oakland's Lester-Cespedes swap?
Both moves were made with the idea of forming elite rotations that can dominate the postseason, but in the early stages Oakland seems to be reaping the greater rewards.
Since joining the A's Lester has gone 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA, with 20 strikeouts and just five walks. Lester had been having the best season of his career with the Red Sox, and has kept his performance identical despite switching teams and coasts. On Tuesday night Lester tossed six innings against the hottest team in baseball, the Kansas City Royals, and snapped an eight-game winning streak. The win improved the A's to 7-4 since Lester's arrival.
David Price trade analysis: Did Tampa Bay get hosed?
Detroit, meanwhile, has struggled since acquiring Price and ceded their first place spot to the Royals. Price has made two starts since joining Detroit, going 0-0 with a 4.30 ERA despite a stellar 16 strikeouts against three walks.
The Tigers are just 4-7 since acquiring Price, and 1-1 in games he's started. His arrival was touted as the formation of MLB's best rotation since it featured the past three American League Cy Young winners, but in that span one of those aces, Justin Verlander, has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation.
Verlander could join Anibal Sanchez on the disabled list; while Sanchez has no Cy Young awards under his belt he has vastly outperformed Verlander in 2014 and looms as a bigger loss.
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