Jon Lester will be a free agent in 2015 and the Oakland A's are not likely to sign him back and now reports have the NY Yankees and Chicago Cubs as the frontrunners over the Boston Red Sox to add the pitcher following his trade this season, as he is going to be asking for big money and that could put New York in position to snag him.
According to CBS Sports, the Yankees and Cubs are the likely frontrunners for the deal, as both those teams have the money to afford a pitcher like Lester. Jon Heyman writes that the Red Sox likely will not go for a deal as high as Lester wants and while they are not ruled out, they are coming from below what he can get on the market. The two sides originally could not agree on an extension and that is why he was traded, although he said a return to Boston was a possibility.
Lester wants big money and a long contract and he is coming into the offseason after another strong year and it could be even better if he plays well in the playoffs. The Cubs are building their team up from the ground up and while they are a few years away, they can offer Lester the money he wants and there is a chance he will take it since he has a previous relationship with Theo Epstein.
The Red Sox will need to restock their pitching after basically trading away everyone and Lester could be asking for $150 million or more for his next deal. The Red Sox are not looking to go that high and while the Yanks also want to cut spending a bit, they may not have a choice but to go after someone like Lester. Lester is having a very strong season with a 13-8 record and a 2.58 ERA and he will command money and years on the market. Lester wants to get paid, but there may only be a few teams willing to give him the money he feels that he deserves.
