For general manager Ben Cherington, trading Jon Lester wasn’t just tough for baseball reasons, but also from a personal standpoint.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Braves had separate discussions with the Cubs regarding utility man Emilio Bonifacio and left-handed reliever James Russell. But they hadn’t discussed putting the two in the same deal until the final hour before the Trade Deadline.

At first blush, the Tampa Bay Rays should have somebody climb high atop Tropicana Field today and raise a white flag. But trading ace David Price is all part of the club’s philosophy.

Six guys from Boston’s World Series roster are gone. In their place, though, is a collection of players that will allow the Red Sox to field the seeds of a contender in 2015 while simultaneously supporting an already well-regarded farm system.

It takes a specific set of circumstances for the Yankees and Red Sox to pursue a trade together, something that the American League East rivals haven’t dared to do since 1997.

The Red Sox and A’s pulled off a blockbuster deal Thursday morning to swap All-Stars, Boston sending ace left-hander Jon Lester to Oakland for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski didn’t want to make his club better. He wanted to make them the best. With the acquisition of David Price, he may have done it.

With the Red Sox taking part in a full-scale roster makeover on Thursday, the Yankees took the opportunity to get in on the action and upgrade their infield, completing their first trade with Boston since 1997. Stephen Drew will suit up in Fenway’s visitors’ clubhouse when the American League East rivals meet on Friday evening, having been acquired by the Yankees in exchange for infielder Kelly Johnson.

According to Andrew Friedman, the Rays’ executive vice president of baseball operations, Tampa Bay must always keep an eye on the future while tending to the present. That strategy was in play Thursday, when the Rays traded ace David Price to the Tigers in a deal that also included the Mariners.

The Tigers worked out a three-way agreement with the Rays and Mariners that delivers four-time All-Star and 2012 Cy Young Award winner David Price to Detroit. Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson heads to Seattle and infielder Nick Franklin goes to Tampa Bay. Left-hander Drew Smyly heads from Detroit to Tampa Bay in the deal.

The Orioles acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Miller from the Red Sox in exchange for one of their top pitching prospects, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, less than an hour before Thursday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.

There’s plenty of analysis all over MLB.com as to what the flurry of July deals means for the present. We’re here to tell you what effect they’ll have on the future, by ranking the best prospects who changed addresses in the last month.

The Nationals solved their second-base problem by acquiring infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Indians for infielder Zach Walters about an hour before Thursday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.

The Marlins announced shortly after the non-waiver Trade Deadline passed that they sent three prospects, including Colin Moran — their top pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft — and a 2015 Competitive Balance pick to Houston in exchange for Astros starter Jarred Cosart, utility player Kiké Hernandez and outfield prospect Austin Wates.

This baseball season appears to be headed toward a third straight Tigers-A’s series. Here’s hoping the fun continues.

The Red Sox and Athletics were the most active teams in the final hours before Thursday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline, but the Tigers swooped in and grabbed a share of the spotlight just before the clock ran out by getting premier left-hander David Price from the Rays in a three-way trade.

The 2014 non-waiver Trade Deadline on Thursday was the wildest of any in recent memory, and the deal that got it all started — Jon Lester for Yoenis Cespedes — might have been the most extraordinary of them all.