Felger & Mazz: Lester Trade Not Exactly Working Out For Billy Beane, A's
BOSTON (CBS) - Tired of first round playoff exits and no World Series ring to his name, Athletics general manager Billy Beane swung for the fences and shocked the baseball world when he traded outfielder and middle-of-the-order bat Yoenis Cespedes the morning of trade deadline day for Red Sox left-handed ace Jon Lester.
Thirty-seven games later, and the results haven't been what Beane has expected.
"They have been atrocious [since trading for Lester]. They won last night, but are now 9-19 in their last 28 games and they have lost 12 games in the standings in those 28 games. They've gone from four up to eight down in the span of 28 games. I would have thought that'd be mathematically impossible until I actually saw it," said 98.5 The Sports Hub's Tony Massarotti Wednesday afternoon.
"How about Billy Beane? At some point if you're the Oakland A's don't you start to wonder about what you're paying Billy Beane? Couldn't you spend that money on an outfielder? You make the playoffs every other year, on average. Neat. But you can't ever win it all. He's screwed the pooch the past 16 years. He has one playoff series win. Nevermind a championship, he can't even get out of the first round," added Felger.
Beane has been on the job in Oakland since 1998, and despite being the subject of an Oscar-nominated movie, the former player cannot put together a postseason winner.
Beane has won just one playoff series for the A's, and the one time his team made it to the League Championship Series they got swept. Jon Lester has been good for Oakland, but the trade itself has not.
Felger & Mazz also discussed the job former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, now with the Orioles, has done in Baltimore.
Listen below for the full discussion:
Revisiting The Jon Lester Trade
Felger and Mazz also weighed in on Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, his propensity for being injured and the team possibly shutting him down for the season.
Listen below:
Will Pedroia Ever Be Healthy Again?
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