7 things we learned at the MLB trade deadline

What a trade deadline it has been in 2014, as several blockbuster deals were made just before 4:00pm today. Many players changed teams, and there is plenty to talk about. Here are seven things that we learned from this year's trade deadline.

1. The 2014 Stephen Drew reunion tour was a failure. But we kind of already knew this, right? Drew was signed by the Red Sox after turning down a $14 million qualifying offer at the start of spring training, and after being signed by nobody in Major League Baseball. He came back to Boston for $10 million, hit .176 over 39 games, and was traded for Kelly Johnson. Excellent move by the Red Sox to recognize that it was a terrible move to bring Drew back to the team in the first place.

2. Billy Beane is all-in for 2014. The most notable Red Sox player traded at the deadline was ace Jon Lester, the subject of many trade talks in recent weeks. He was dealt with hero Jonny Gomes to Oakland for Yoenis Cespedes, a move that doesn't fit the Moneyball scheme of the Athletics' front office. It was a move that set up Oakland's playoff rotation, which can be any permutation of Lester, Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir, and Sonny Gray. It would have made Oakland favorites in the AL if not for...

3. The Detroit Tigers acquiring David Price makes their pitching staff lethal. If you thought facing Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, and Doug Fister in the 2013 ALCS was tough, feel sorrier for whoever will have to face David Price amongst the first three names on that list this postseason. Detroit now owns the past three AL Cy Young Winners (Scherzer, Price, Verlander) and made a move that was essentially made in response to Oakland beefing up their staff.

Sonny Gray after 8 shutout innings in a 1-0, Game 2 victory.

4. The best rivalry in the American League is... Detroit and Oakland? Hear me out here. These two have squared off in the ALDS in each of the past two seasons, with both series going to Detroit in the maximum five games. One of the ten games was decided by more than three runs, and these two are shaping up for an epic seven-game series in October this postseason. Any of the matchups between the pitchers has the billing to be a main event including a Game 4 matchup between Justin Verlander and Sonny Gray, the latter of whom threw eight shutout innings against the Tigers last postseason. More, please!

5. The Red Sox will lead the MLB in runs scored and runs allowed in 2015. The Boston lineup could look like this in 2015: Jackie Bradley Jr., Dustin Pedroia, Allen Craig, David Ortiz, Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Napoli, Xander Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks, Christian Vazquez. Talk about a giant part of the order, featuring four players who could conceivably end up with 100 RBI if healthy for an entire year. Then again, the Red Sox traded away four of their five Opening Day pitchers, so they'll need to score runs to win games next season.

6. Last season really was an aberration. I talked about the magic of 2013 and how it's been gone this year, and then the Red Sox went 9-5 immediately after I posted that. Since I tweeted remarking that the Red Sox went 9-5, they've gone 1-8. So much for wishful thinking that I jinxed it...regardless, it's clear that the Red Sox cashed in their chips and are stockpiling for 2015. And I think that the Boston fan base is smart enough to recognize this, which should make Ben Cherington's life a little less stressful in August and September.

7. You shouldn't be buying any t-shirts anytime soon. If there's one thing that this trade deadline has taught us, it's that you can't trust that one player will remain on a team for his entire career. Too much happens in the business world of sports where it's become a rarity for one player to stay with one franchise. Lester, Price, and Cespedes were all cornerstones of their respective franchises, and they changed hands within an hour of each other. It will take some getting used to, but when all was said and done, the 2014 trade deadline became one of the most memorable in recent time. Here's to the last two months of the regular season, plus what is shaping up to be one exciting October, even if the hometown team ends up not being a part of it. Another shoutout to the new players arriving in Boston, and a huge thank you to the ones departing. (Yes, even you, Stephen Drew.) Thanks for everything and hopefully we'll see some of you back soon.