Report: Red Sox trade John Lackey to Cardinals for Allen Craig, Joe Kelly

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The Boston Red Sox brokered another massive trade Thursday afternoon, sending veteran hurler John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals for first baseman Allen Craig and right-hander Joe Kelly, according to multiple reports.

The Red Sox shipped Jon Lester to Oakland on Thursday morning in exchange for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, and almost immediately thereafter jettisoned Lackey, who turns 36 in October, for a pair of players under contract for the next several seasons who can provide immediate help for the big-league club.

Despite earning his first career All-Star appearance last season, Craig has struggled thus far in 2014, hitting just .237/.291/.346 with seven home runs and 77 strikeouts through 97 games. However, the 30-year-old remains under contract through at least 2017 and boasts a career 120 OPS+ over parts of five seasons in the majors.

Kelly, meanwhile, was expected to figure prominently in the Cardinals' rotation this season, but a hamstring injury forced the 26-year-old to the disabled list for most of the first half of the season. The young righty has struggled since returning from injury, but he remains under team control through 2018 and is one of the game's foremost ground-ball specialists.