BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox acquired All-Star Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, adding a third left-hander to the rotation as they push to return to the playoffs after consecutive last-place finishes.Boston sent righty Anderson Espinoza to San Diego. The 18-year-old righty was ranked the No. 15 prospect in the country by Baseball America.We think (Pomeranz) makes us better now, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a conference call with reporters. We know theres a sacrifice for the future.Pomeranz, 27, who will make his Boston debut Wednesday, is 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts for San Diego this season. He pitched a scoreless inning in Tuesday night in the All-Star game.Hes not an easy guy to deal, Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. Any time you have a left-handed starter who performs the way he has, resulting in an All-Star berth, you have to feel very good about the return that youre getting.I think it says a lot to Espinoza as far as what our guys thought about him. From that standpoint, we looked at it that its something where were getting a premium guy.Pomeranz joins fellow lefties David Price and Eduardo Rodriguez in a Boston rotation that includes Rick Porcello and AL ERA leader Steven Wright. Except for Wright, all have been inconsistent this season, and injuries to closer Craig Kimbrel and setup man Junichi Tazawa threatened to further strain the rotation.There are only a couple of pitchers we thought had a chance to be available that we thought would give us an upgrade on our pitching staff, Dombrowski said.Its the fourth trade in a week for Dombrowski, who also made a big splash in the offseason by signing Price to a seven-year, $217 million free-agent contract. The Red Sox acquired third baseman Aaron Hill from Milwaukee, second baseman Michael Martinez from Cleveland and righty Brad Ziegler over the last seven days without giving up any major leaguers.They have also managed to hang onto most of their top prospects. Espinoza was 5-8 with a 4.38 ERA in 17 starts for Single-A Greenville this season.He was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox system and the No. 4 pitching prospect in the country, according to Baseball America.Hes a youngster that we liked a great deal, Dombrowski said. He was a few years away from the major leagues. Not somebody that we wanted to give up.Preller, who traded Kimbrel to Boston over the offseason, has now traded two All-Stars in two weeks; he sent closer Fernando Rodney to Miami on June 30. Pomeranz is under Bostons control through 2018.To make room for Pomeranz on Bostons 40-man roster, infielder Josh Rutledge was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. He has left knee tendinitis.---AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report. Kent Tekulve Jersey . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/1902e-elias-diaz-jersey-pirates.html . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Blake Cederlind Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. 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The College Football Playoff field is set, along with the lineup for 41 bowl games.But before the postseason kicks off with six games on Dec. 17, lets take a look back at the best and worst from the 2016 season.Once again, there were plenty of surprises and disappointments:Offensive player of the yearSchlabach says?...?Lamar JacksonHis play (and his teams play) tailed off dramatically at the end of the season, but he still set school and ACC records with 51 total touchdowns (30 passing, 21 rushing), 1,538 rushing yards by a quarterback and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.Defensive player of the yearSchlabach says?...?Jonathan AllenHe was the most disruptive force on the No. 1 defense in the FBS, finishing with 56 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8? sacks, 15 quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries. The Tide led the FBS in scoring defense (11.8 points), total defense (247.8 yards) and run defense (63.4 yards).Coach of the yearSchlabach says?...?Mike MacIntyreAfter winning only two Pac-12 games combined in his first three seasons at Colorado, MacIntyre guided the Buffaloes to a dramatic turnaround in 2016. Colorado finished 10-3, won the Pac-12 South and will play in a bowl game for the first time since 2007. The Buffaloes beat Oregon for the first time since joining the Pac-12 and defeated Stanford for the first time since 1990.Freshman of the year (offense)Schlabach says?...?Jalen HurtsThe first freshman to start at quarterback for Nick Saban, Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a 13-0 record and SEC championship. He completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,592 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Just as importantly, he brought a new dimension to Alabamas offense, rushing for 841 yards with 12 scores.Freshman of the year (defense)Schlabach says?...?Ed OliverOne of the most decorated recruits to ever sign with Houston, Oliver more than lived up to his billing this season. He had 61 tackles, 19? tackles for loss, five sacks, seven quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. He was at his best in the Cougars biggest games, totaling four sacks in upsets over Oklahoma and Louisville.Comeback player of the yearSchlabach says?...?James ConnerHe was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in December 2015, then announced he was cancer-free on May 23. On top of that, he bounced back from a knee injury that caused him to miss most of the 2015 season. Conner ran for 1,060 yards with 16 touchdowns, leading the Panthers to an 8-4 record.Biggest surpriseSchlabach says?...?Penn StateAfter the Nittany Lions dropped two of their first four games, there were grumblings about coach James Franklins job security. But then Penn State won its final nine games, including a 38-31 victory over No. 6 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game. The Nittany Lions also upset then-No. 2 Ohio State 24-21. They will play USC in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Muttual on Jan.dddddddddddd 2.Biggest disappointmentSchlabach says?...?Notre DameThe Fighting Irish were considered a dark horse to make the College Football Playoff, but they finished 4-8, their worst record since going 3-9 in 2007. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder after only four games, and the NCAA announced last month that the Irish would have to vacate 21 wins from 2012-13 because of an academic scandal.Game of the yearSchlabach says?...?The GameThe Nov. 26 showdown between the No. 3 Wolverines and No. 2 Buckeyes was not only the game of the year, but it might have been the best game in college footballs most storied rivalry. The drama-filled epic was decided in two overtimes, after OSU picked up a controversial first down on fourth-and-1 and scored on Curtis Samuels 15-yard run. The win propelled Ohio State into the College Football Playoff and knocked Michigan out of the top four.Best finishSchlabach says?...?Georgia-TennesseeAfter the Volunteers rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the second half, the game ended with two Hail Mary passes for touchdowns. Georgias Jacob Eason fired a 47-yard touchdown to Riley Ridley to give Georgia a 31-28 lead. On the next play from scrimmage, Tennessees Joshua Dobbs threw a 43-yard touchdown to Jauan Jennings with no time left.Biggest upsetSchlabach says?...?Pitt over ClemsonThe Panthers were coming off back-to-back losses when they knocked off the No. 2 Tigers on Chris Blewitts 48-yard field with six seconds left. Clemson had won 21 consecutive home games -- the longest streak in the FBS -- and defeated unranked opponents in 46 straight games.Best momentSchlabach says?...?Nebraska remembers Sam FoltzThere were myriad tributes this season for Foltz and former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler, who were killed in a car wreck while returning from a kicking camp in Wisconsin on July 23. But Nebraskas tribute -- lining up with only 10 men and no punter on the first punt of the season -- was extra special.Best playSchlabach says?...?Noah Browns catchBrown was supposed to break through last season, but then he broke his leg in preseason camp and missed the entire 2015 campaign. He didnt wait long to re-emerge this season, with four touchdown catches in a 45-24 win at Oklahoma. His third touchdown catch was spectacular, as he leapt high in the air and somehow pinned the ball against OU cornerback Michiah Quicks back as they fell out of bounds.Worst playSchlabach says?...?Ray-Ray McClouds fumble.Our apologies to McCloud, but it was the first of what would be many bone-headed plays this season, in which players dropped the ball short of the goal line while running into the end zone. Its really pretty simple: Cross the goal line and hand the ball to an official. ' ' '