Immediately after the Boston Red Sox traded Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics back in July, there was talk of an eventual reunion between the pitcher and his original franchise once the offseason came calling.
So it really shouldn’t surprise us that Lester’s agent met with Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington on Tuesday night.
Cherington met with Lesters agents for an extended period of time last night
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) November 12, 2014
Lester has shown interest in a return to Boston, while the team has obviously been rumored to be big-time spenders this offseason.
The lefty, who went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts with the A’s after the trade, rejected a four-year $70 million contract from Boston during spring training.
For his part Cherington indicated on Tuesday that the Red Sox have “obvious” interest in Lester (via CSN New England).
I think we’ve always said that we have a preference or a presumption towards (shorter) deals,” Cherington indicated to the media on Tuesday. “But it’s never been a hard policy. We’ve made some exceptions, and I’m sure there will be another exception. So it’s a case-by-case thing. If all the boxes are checked, I’m sure there will be a longer-term deal that makes sense, just as we’ve done some of those in the past.”
We need to add to the rotation. We know that. He’s obviously a known commodity and he’s a proven guy in our market. He’s of obvious interest. Just as he is doing and needs to do, we have to explore all of our other options, too.
Other reports suggest that the Red Sox could go as high as six-years, $120 million for the 30-year-old starter. That’s a far cry from the team’s offer during spring training. It also goes against the mentality of the front office giving away longer-term deals to pitchers on the wrong side of 30.
Photo: USA Today