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The Oakland As were already the team to beat before making a blockbuster deal to add two starting pitchers from the Chicago Cubs. Numbers Game looks into the As giving up their top prospect in order to acquire Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. The Athletics Get: RHP Jeff Samardzija and RHP Jason Hammel. Samardzija, 29, has become a first-rate starting pitcher, even if his win totals dont make that readily apparent. In 78 starts for the Cubs over the past three years, Samardzija has a 19-33 record, but has a 3.83 ERA and 1.27 WHIP are respectable and he struck out 497 batters in 496 1/3 innings, a rate surpassed by eight qualified starters in the past three years. This season alone, Samardzija was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 103 strikeouts in 108 innings with the Cubs. While Samardzijas mid-90s fastball drives his results, hes throwing a harder slider than ever before and its been an out pitch for him. Moving to Oakland is a great opportunity for Samardzija to be a rotation anchor for a World Series contender. He had never pitched in Oakland, prior to his As debut Sunday, but Oaklands park has been pitcher-friendly for years, so that ought to keep Samardzijas numbers strong. Hell be arbitration-eligible at the end of the season, due for a good raise on his $5.345-million salary, but Samardzija is under organizational control for another season beyond 2014. Hammel is a 31-year-old who was hanging around on the free agent market until the end of January, when he settled on a one-year, $6-million deal with the Cubs. That lack of interest was justified, to some degree, by Hammels 2013 season, during which he posted a 4.97 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. This year, its been a different story, as Hammel posted a career-best 2.98 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 17 starts with the Cubs, striking out 104 in 108 2/3 innings in the process. For such a marked difference, there ought to be some tangible differences in Hammels game. His home run rate is down and hes leaving a greater percentage of base-runners on, but Hammels real improvement is that his walk rate is under 2.0 for the first time in his career. Hes reduced the percentage of curve balls and change-ups that he throws, focusing on his fastball and slider and, like Samardzija, Hammels slider has been especially devastating this season. In fact, according to Fan Graphs, Hammel has the most effective slider in baseball this season. If Hammel continues the way hes pitched this season, hell be able to cash in as a free agent in the offseason. Getting Hammel in addition to Samardzija is really a power move by the As. Instead of settling for the upgrade that Samardzija provides, they also have enough depth with Hammel that LHP Tommy Milone (3.55 ERA in 16 starts) could lose his spot in the rotation. This gives Oakland insurance for injuries to their other starters and, perhaps even better (if not outright done deliberately), prevents Hammel from going to another contending team that is looking to shore up its pitching staff. Before making this trade, the As were the top team in baseball and they just added to quality starting pitchers, both of whom are having excellent seasons, so consider this trade to be the equivalent of the As pushing their chips to the middle of the table. Theyre all in. The Cubs Get: SS Addison Russell, RHP Dan Straily, CF Billy McKinney and a player to be named later. Russell, 20, was the 11th overall pick in the 2012 Draft and, while hes missed a couple months due to a hamstring injury this season, hes shown that he has the bat to be a star in the major leagues, posting an .899 OPS in 185 games in the minors. Russell has played a total of 20 games this season, 15 since being promoted to Double-A, so he could still use time to develop, but he should be knocking on the Cubs door by next season. This presents something of an enviable problem for Chicago as one of their many great prospects is shortstop Javier Baez and they have incumbent starter Starlin Castro with the big-league club. Either some players are getting traded or there will be some position changes coming, but Russell is a great get for Chicago -- hes one of the top position player prospects in the game. 25-year-old Straily got roughed up a bit early this season (4.93 ERA in seven starts), losing his spot in the As rotation, but that was a case of surrendering too many home runs (nine in 38 1/3 IP) as his 1.25 WHIP was pretty much in line with his career average. Straily doesnt throw hard at the best of times, but he lost a couple miles per hour off all of his pitches and that can make a difference for guys with overpowering stuff. Nevertheless, a 25-year-old with a good slider who has managed a 4.11 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 41 major-league starts (with slightly better numbers on the road) is worth a look for the Cubs. The 24th pick in the 2013 Draft, McKinney is a 19-year-old centre fielder climbing his way up the minor-league ladder after coming out of Texas high school ball. Overall, the left-handed hitter has a .278 average and .769 OPS in 132 minor-league games, but is hitting .243 with a .729 OPS in 77 games at Advanced Class-A ball. Hell need a little time to develop and the Cubs have other strong outfield prospects on the way too, but add a quality bat to the organization and see where he is in a couple of years. As much as the Cubs are giving up a couple of quality starting pitchers, players that give the As an immediate shot in the arm heading into the second half of the season, they got quality assets in return. If Russell does make it as even an above-average starter at shortstop, and one of Straily or McKinney provides some kind of value, then the Cubs will eventually reap the rewards of this deal. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Günstige Nike Schuhe Schweiz . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Nike Schuhe Günstig . The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. http://www.schuhenikeschweiz.ch/ . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Nike Schuhe Schweiz Online . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. Nike Schuhe Schweiz . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.VANCOUVER -- Wally Buono doesnt like the term "backup quarterback" when describing one of his newest acquisitions. The B.C. Lions general manager and vice-president of football operations made a splash at Tuesdays CFL draft, acquiring disgruntled pivot Kevin Glenn from the Ottawa Redblacks for the fifth overall pick. The move is significant not only when taking into account Glenns past success in the CFL, but also because Lions starting quarterback Travis Lulay is coming off surgery to his throwing shoulder. "Kevin Glenn is an experienced quarterback thats won wherever hes been," Buono said on a conference call Wednesday. "Hes a guy that I think brings instant credibility (and) adds strength to (the position). "You cant win without great quarterbacking." Glenn, who spent the last two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, was selected by Ottawa in the expansion draft to stock the leagues ninth franchise, but became available after the Redblacks signed Henry Burris to a three-year contract following his release by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. "I believe it will be a very, very good marriage. Kevin wants to be in a place where he believes hell be utilized," said Buono. "We hope Travis goes all 18 games, but if he doesnt we feel we have a guy that can step in and help us win football games." Lulay missed six games at the end of the 2013 season after damaging his labrum in September, but returned to play in the Lions West Division semifinal loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. "When you look at professional sports, whether its the NFL or the CFL, injuries to your quarterback is always a major issue that you have to deal with," said Buono. "To be able to acquire a quarterback of (Glenns) calibre who comes in here and makes us that much better instantly was a tremendous opportunity for us." B.C. head coach Mike Benevides said he expects Lulay to be ready when training camp opens June 1, but added that his No. 1 quarterback is still not 100 per cent. "Theres no doubt that were going to need a phase of training camp to continue the progression that hes on right now," said Benevides. "The plan is to have him work for a segment of time in practice but the first day of camp he will be participating." The Lions were in need of a capable secondary option under centre after Thomas DeMarco was selected by Ottawa in the expansion draft and Buck Pierce retired to become an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The club has former NFLer John Beck on the roster, as well as Chris Hart, who was with B.C. last season but saw no playing time. Buono said the addition of Glenn will allow Lulay more time to heal if need be ahead of the Lions first regular-season game.dddddddddddd "When you have a quarterback thats coming off a major injury, the stronger you are behind him, the less pressure you put on that quarterback ... to speed up the process," said Buono. "We want this to be a natural progression where (Lulay) follows the medical protocol, which hes doing. Having Kevin here not only gives Mike and I confidence, but I think it gives everybody in the organization, everybody that supports the B.C. Lions confidence that come June 28 we will have a very good football team and well have two very good experienced quarterbacks to lead us." Glenn said after Tuesdays trade that he was excited for a fresh start with the Lions. The 34-year-old guided Calgary to a Grey Cup berth in 2012 and a CFL-best 14-4 record last year before getting scooped up by the Redblacks. "To be honest I didnt know if anything would actually happen," said Glenn, who wanted out of Ottawa after the team signed Burris. "To give up a first-round draft pick shows a team really wants you. "Thats what I was kind of excited about." The Lions won the Grey Cup at B.C. Place Stadium back in 2011 and are hosting the big game again in November, but Buono stressed the move for Glenn isnt a move with that showcase in mind, but rather about getting the best possible product on the field at key times. "The last two years, weve had good teams and we have not won a playoff game," said Buono. "Thats just the reality of our business, whether its football or any other sport. Winning in the playoffs is critical. Winning the big game is critical." "Theres different stages of the season. You want to win in the regular season, you want to put yourself in the playoffs to win, and then you want to put yourself in position to win the Grey Cup. You cant win the Grey Cup unless you win in the playoffs, so were building a team to hopefully do both." Notes: The Lions made a couple of roster moves on Wednesday, releasing quarterback Jarrett Lee and signing four import defensive backs, including former NFL cornerback Brandon McDonald, who played 80 games over six seasons with Cleveland, Detroit and Tampa Bay. ... After trading out of the first round to get Glenn on Tuesday, the Lions chose offensive lineman T-Dre Player out of Northwestern State with the 12th pick. B.C. followed that up but taking Laval fullback Pascal Lochard (14th overall), Simon Fraser linebacker Casey Chin (27th overall), Montreal defensive lineman David Menard (32nd overall), Bishops wide receiver Alexander Fox (41st overall), Simon Fraser defensive lineman Dylan Roper (50th overall) and Laval running back Guillaume Bourassa (59th overall). ' ' '