Free-agent-to-be Jon Lester would be willing to re-sign with the Red Sox in the offseason even if they traded him in the coming week, Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston writes. “I mean, this is what I know, this is what I love,” says Lester. “Like I’ve said many times, this is where I want to be. If they trade me, I completely understand.”
Edes notes that 17 or more teams watched Lester and the Red Sox face off against David Price and the Rays Friday night. Both Lester and Price are potential trade candidates.
Lester and the Red Sox had discussed an extension in spring training, but the Red Sox’ offer of four years and $70MM seemed to be quite low. Since then, Lester said that he does not want to discuss an extension during the season (although reports haven’t been entirely consistent regarding Lester’s position on in-season negotiations). The Red Sox, meanwhile, have characterized the $70MM offer as merely an “opening offer” to begin negotiations.
If the Red Sox were to trade Lester and then seek to re-sign him, his resulting ineligibility for the qualifying offer would change the dynamics of potential negotiations with other clubs. If the Red Sox keep Lester this season, they can then extend him a qualifying offer, which he would, obviously, be extremely likely to refuse. While the qualifying offer would be highly unlikely to derail the market for Lester in the way it did for Kendrys Morales, Stephen Drew, Nelson Cruz and Ervin Santana last offseason, it would be a factor for other teams negotiating with him, since they would have to consider the lost value of a draft pick.
He is handling everything perfectly. Respect. -Yanks fan
How many times has a pitcher said this, then was traded, and actually re-signs with the team that traded him?
You’re saying all the right things, Jon Lester. Red Sox fans, don’t get too upset when he doesn’t return. He wants to get paid.
That’s great and all, but how many times has a pitcher said this, then was traded, and the former team actually gives them a competitive offer on the free agent market? I’m willing to bet it hardly ever happens, so of course a player saying this and then later resigning doesn’t happen that often. If the Sox trade him I guess we will find out if this is a time that a team actually offers a competitive offer.
Agree though that he is saying all the right things. He has handled everything almost as perfectly as you can.
I’m not sure if he said it but Lee did it with the Phillies.
Did a single person expect him to say, “if they trade me, I’ll never come back?”
No, but not a lot of players come right out and say they would re-sign with the team that just traded them. Players usually give answers like, “we will see what happens.”
No it doesn’t, but once he has played for another team it may make it harder for them to keep him around at a somewhat friendlier deal.
No team is willing to give up a ton for him knowing he won’t be back next year. The team that gets him will likely require him to sign an extension. Sox fans fear not. Lester will be in a Red Sox uniform next year.
I’m not confident that we’ll be able to retain him. Cherington, Lucchino and co. really messed it up with that lowball offer.
This sounds like something you say because you have to but don’t actually mean.
See, this is where free agency and/or the trade market gets yucky for me.
Lester just won a World Series, he’s won two World Series in total.
So, why be unhappy or unfulfilled, I mean not everybody gets to win a World Series during their career much less two. How can fans of another team get behind him, if he’s going to be around only for like 2 months. They do this in Horse Racing, you have a jockey who rides a possible champion horse, then the trainer owner secretly replaces the jockey with some sort alleged hot shot jockey, then it doesn’t work out.
Typically, they do this Kentucky Derby Day or some big Grade one race.
Anyway, my point being, this just looks greedy or something and there’s really nothing for it!
There’s always a bunch of guys shuffling around at the deadline or FAs who join a team for just a season. I’d be behind him if he was pitching for the Brewers, but I think the price will be too high.
What this really means is, “Whatever team trades for me should not try to sign me to an extension. I intend to become a free agent.”
Couple things, 1) he should not have said that because it can only hurt himself and the Red Sox fans if he ultimately signs elsewhere – he could have just said he hopes it doesn’t come to that, and 2) the Red Sox are going to get more from him now in a trade than they are going to get with a supplementary pick if he walks so no need to bring that up as a negative – if they get 2 top prospects now and have a level playing field in the offseason I would take that rather than the supplemental pick coupled with the advantage of not having to give up my own pick in a deal because the value of Lester on a 6-8 year contract dwarfs the value of a supplemental pick and the teams that covet Lester will completely ignore that.
Stop this madness.
OK, Cliff Lee.
Lester seems to want to stay. I’m not convinced the Red Sox want him to, at least not at anything approximating a fair-market value in terms of dollars and years. But these interviews are always suspect, because the interviewer is asking leading questions that Lester really has no choice but to be polite about. Who really knows what his real thoughts are. But he seems to have been well brought up.
Its easy for Lester to say this now, probably just to avoid distractions. Ben is cheap though and will probably have to overpay Lester to retain him
That´s another way of saying:
¨Please trade me, I want to cash and don´t want to be attached to draft pick compensation.¨
Draft pick compensation has never really effected top level free agents
@Bob Bunker:disqus thats right
@Mario Saavedra:disqus hence the second part of the last paragraph
It agrees with your statement Bob
Wouldn´t hurt not to have it, though.
Interesting. Keep an eye on this. In the era of the “Qualifying Offer” maybe we’ll see more trade-and-resigns?
Lester would command a much higher contract because of the larger pool of teams that would bid for him. Also, the team that trades him away would receive immediate minor league-tested value in prospects, who may be a higher percentage bet to be majorleaguers than the QO pick they would have gotten. It’s win-win for both sides, no?
Somehow, I’d like him to be around for awhile. I wonder what Bucholtz could net in a trade at this point with those team options after next year. Bucholtz is awesome when he is on but even in his best year only pitched about 180 innings. Great stuff but he has such a frail frame that he will likely never be a consistent part of the rotation. I’d rather try to get SOMETHING for Clay and open up next years contract and the two option years for Lester. The Sox have some double A and triple A arms that if given a chance could provide just as much Bucholtz.
How about Lester, Buchholz, Middlebrooks, Gomes & a AAA starter to Miami for Giancarlo Stanton? I’d take that trade knowing that there a 50/50 chance of getting Lester back next year.
Oh, I’d do that but Mr. Loria down there in Miami doesn’t want Buccholz upcoming salaries, would never pay Lester if he had the chance and you have to think the Marlins are lower on Middlebrooks than they were. Man I’d love for the Red Sox to get Stanton if we knew he would sign long term but that would have to be something more like Betts, Swiihart, Owens, Raunado. That would be tough to swallow.
Miami hangs up and blocks your number.