Trade deadline day was always one of the roughest in their business. No matter what, all eyes were on baseball come July 31st. Blockbuster deals always came at the last minute and the A’s were no exception to the rule. Jason had gone to bed July 30th confident in the team they had. Sure at times their pitching was a little shaky and their offense didn’t click, much like the weekend series they just had in Houston, but they always found a way to bounce back and get the job done. He hadn’t expected to be woken up early on their off day to his phone buzzing like no other and his roommate shouting at him about something Billy Beane, the master of trades, had pulled off.
Lester and Gomes for Cespedes.
That was certainly not something Jason had seen coming. He had spent parts of 2012 with Jonny Gomes on the team; the guy certainly had charisma and could motivate a dugout like no other. His roommate had even more experience with the guy and Jason knew they’d be in solid hands. Lester was more of a mystery, they had both been at the all-star game and briefly hung out during the home run derby after Jason had been eliminated but beyond that he had no clue how the guy would fit into the cohesive mix. His roommate had come to the A’s from Boston, so Lester was just another former teammate added to his current list again.
But losing Cespedes, it hurt. Jason had started his major league tenure with the A’s at the same time as Cespedes, they had been two of the new guys at spring training and though he didn’t speak a word of English Jason still found a way to communicate and get to know the guy. Over the past two and a half seasons they had grown together, as teammates and ball players. Their derby brawls before the derby had happened had been some of Jason’s favorite memories from the season so far. And now he was a member of the competition, an opponent to be faced rather than a teammate to cheer on.
Jason knew walking into the clubhouse was going to have a different feel tomorrow but if Billy thought it was right and good for the team then Jason was behind it. Anything to get to that elusive October.