The Jon Lester contract situation

[Bellhorn04]

Gammons reporting that Lester was looking for about a $105 million dollar contract in the offseason. He's also reporting that the Ben is seriously considering trading Lester if the contract talks don't work out.

 

This is really shaping up as a PR disaster for the Red Sox.

[a700hitter]

By all accounts, the Red Sox FO botched this situation. Small and medium market teams are retaining their aces before they hit the open market, but the Red Sox, one of the richest franchises in the game will let an ace walk in his prime. That's just a mess. So next season we will all get to coo about our young arms until the middle of June when we realize that you can't win anything with 2 rookies in the starting rotation.

[seabeachfred]

By all accounts, the Red Sox FO botched this situation. Small and medium market teams are retaining their aces before they hit the open market, but the Red Sox, one of the richest franchises in the game will let an ace walk in his prime. That's just a mess. So next season we will all get to coo about our young arms until the middle of June when we realize that you can't win anything with 2 rookies in the starting rotation.

 

I know you won't be cooing Ted and you can bet your last dime I won't be either and neither will most of the posters on this board. We should all be aware that a disaster to our team is in the making and without a bonafide ace to lead the staff and at least two other top starters we are in a very unsavory position. Unless the owners are preparing to secretly sell the team I cannot understand their cheapness as well as ignorance in understanding that you don't let your ace in the prime of his career walk. Stupidity as stupidity does speaks volumes for Henry, Lucchino, Werner and Co.

[Palodios]

The FO reporting that trade talks with Lester are done. Time to make the trade that everyone will be talking about. Lester + Koji for prospects, those prospects + more prospects for Stanton.

[gojohn99]

That's what I'm thinking too, and the Sox won't do a 6 or 7 year deal for a pitcher. Good luck Jon Lester.

 

why does people assume that they could have locked him up on 4-5 year deal in the spring? He stated he wanted to retire as a member of the red sox, to me that says 6-7 year contract.

[d-money]

Well expect this team to stink for the next couple of years if lester is dealt.Alot of young pitchers who will have growing pains.

[a700hitter]

The FO reporting that trade talks with Lester are done. Time to make the trade that everyone will be talking about. Lester + Koji for prospects, those prospects + more prospects for Stanton.

This wishful thinking is reminiscent of E1's Pipedream a few years back that had us getting King Felix.

[Spudboy]

This wishful thinking is reminiscent of E1's Pipedream a few years back that had us getting King Felix.

 

Lol. I think that I remember that!

 

I think that Stanton won't be moved by the Marlins until at soonest the trade deadline in 2015. I don't see why the Marlins would do so until then.

 

I see no reason to dump Koji in any case. Yes, he is old and he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Weather the Sox are in the playoff hunt in the 2015 season or not, they will need a closer and until he completely loses his effectiveness, the Sox might as well keep him. I don't see anyone paying him a ton of money elsewhere and certainly not more than the Sox can afford to pay him. I don't know what amount of dough he may want to stay in Boston but it can't be so much as to not make it worthwhile when you look at what money the Sox have spent and even wasted on relievers in recent years. I say sign him for a one year extension with an option for another year or possibly sign him for two years if necessary. Again, he may not be effective two years from now but the risk is minimal compared to the 3/39 deals ( an example ) that the Sox were so liberal in doling out two years ago.

 

I do think that trading Lester makes sense if the Sox can get a decent haul back. I say the price starts at a 1st round pick with a top tier prospect. No sense in keeping Lester around if the brass have no intention of signing him at close to what he wants. Some playoff hopeful team will want him bad enough.

 

And while I am on my soapbox, I say that the Sox should try to keep Miller too. Relievers are a crap shoot and Miller has developed into a good one. For largely the same reasons that I have stated above, sign him.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Spudboy

[Bellhorn04]

Lol. I think that I remember that!

 

I think that Stanton won't be moved by the Marlins until at soonest the trade deadline in 2015. I don't see why the Marlins would do so until then.

 

 

Well, in theory at least, moving him now could bring a bigger return because the acquiring team gets him for at least one full season plus two end-seasons. Plus a bigger window to sign him to an extension.

[Spudboy]

In theory.

 

But what is Stanton worth in sales and revenue to the Marlins now? That must be taken into account as well.

[Station 13]

Red Sox posturing now with rumors about Hamels.

[curiousd]

(1)The RS must trade Lester now, because the Yankees will have Lester next year in any case.

 

(2)PR disaster indeed. My guess is that Henry has told his minions something such as: Spend the least amount as possible while still fielding a winning team. Soccer, anyone?

[a700hitter]

(1)The RS must trade Lester now, because the Yankees will have Lester next year in any case.

 

(2)PR disaster indeed. My guess is that Henry has told his minions something such as: Spend the least amount as possible while still fielding a winning team. Soccer, anyone?

I think that those were the marching orders going into this season. They had a lot of fan capital to expend after 2013 so they just needed to put out a competitive product that played .500 ball. They just needed to put on a good show as 3.4 million fans came to pay homage to the new championship banner and bask in its glow. Going that route is a fine line , and they under shot the mark plus everything has gone wrong thus creating a disaster. This is what can happen when your FO deliberately holds back and is content to put together a competitive team (not a dominant one) and crosses its fingers. The approach was similar in 2013. The differences were that they didn't undershoot the mark and everything broke their way. Arrogantly, they thought they had hit on some formula for success combined with cost control. This year was hopefully their wake-up call. This approach is more likely to end up in a train wreck than a world championship. From 2003 to 2011 we consistently put out 90 plus win teams because they had constructed dominant rosters not rosters that would be competitive. I like Napoli, but on those teams he would have hit 7th or 8th not cleanup. If they think the formula for future success is to let Lester walk and go to a youth movement, they will be making an awful mistake. Frankly, I look at our prospects, and I don't see a lot of stars. XB and Bradley have 2/3 of a major league season under their belts and hopefully, they are just experiencing growing pains. They have not taken the league by storm as many had expected. Betts could be a very good player, but at 5'8" he is not going to be a big power hitter. Cecchini can't field, and he isn't tearing up AAA. We will be lucky if WMB becomes a Mark Reynolds type. His biggest score may be Jenny Dell. We don't have an OFer worth spit in the entire organization. Of our pitchers that everyone coos about Rubby is the closest, and I don't think he projects to the top of the rotation. Workman's name perfectly describes the type of pitcher that he can become. Barnes isn't dominating anyone and Webster still has no command of his pitches. Renaudo has me curious. A total youth move starting in 2015 will have a lot of people excited, but it will result in more long offseasons and boring Augusts and Septembers.

[Bellhorn04]

As far as spending is concerned, the 2014 payroll is just as high as the 2013 payroll, and it's still one of the top 3 or 4 in baseball, lagging behind only the Yanks and Dodgers, really.

 

The spending was there for 2014...the return on spending was not.

[Bellhorn04]

If Gammons's report is accurate that the Sox had a chance to ink Lester for $105 million, then I'd say they definitely f***ed up royally.

[Palodios]

I like Napoli, but on those teams he would have hit 7th or 8th not cleanup.

 

In all fairness, most of those teams teams with Manny, Ortiz, Youk, Nomar, Lowell, Ellsbury, Pedroia etc were the best offenses in baseball by a long shot -- which the 2013 Red Sox were. Its not the steroid era anymore so offenses are much different. There are only a handful of teams in baseball where Napoli would hit any lower than 4h or 5th right now, but all of those top offenses already have 1B.

 

 

A total youth move starting in 2015 will have a lot of people excited, but it will result in more long offseasons and boring Augusts and Septembers

The 2015 Red Sox will be back. They have too much financial flexibility and farm talent to just sit around. If the Sox don't sign Lester-- Price, Scherzer and Shields are out there too.

[jacksonianmarch]

Price isn't a FA until after 2015. Scherzer or Lester are likely to be Yankee top targets, and if the sox aren't willing to go long with a 30 yr old ace, why would they do the same thing with a guy they don't know in Scherzer or a guy who is a lot older in Shields? If the sox let Lester walk, you're gonna see some back end signings (maybe a guy like Brandon McCarthy?) and a willingness to go with the kids. If they don't sign a high priced pitcher, they likely bring up Owens and mold their PR perspective around him in the rotation with Rubby

[Bellhorn04]

I have a feeling the Sox are serious about Hamels. I'm not saying I like it, but I can see the logic there.

[jacksonianmarch]

Where's the logic for Philly, though?

[Station 13]

I want little or no parts of Hamels in Boston. You waste prospects and still gotta eat a 100m contract. That's not how they operate here.

[Station 13]

Where's the logic for Philly, though?

 

They have no interest in moving Hamels, Lee on the other hand is very much available.

[redsoxrules]

If they would have fired Lester 100M at spring training he would have took it. It never fails, most players with a contract expiring have career years.

So now you have to pay Lester about 140M if not more because of a career year that he's most likely never going to touch or come close to it again. FFS

[gojohn99]

Absolutely. Unless they bring in another #1 starter.

 

Well expect this team to stink for the next couple of years if lester is dealt.Alot of young pitchers who will have growing pains.

[jacksonianmarch]

What you guys aren't seeing, though, is that if the sox don't pony up for Lester, why would they pony up for Scherzer, Price or Shields?

[Station 13]

If if they don't sign Lester, they can write 2015 off. If they want to win in 2015, not only they re-sign him, they also need to sign another starter too, boot Buccholz/Doubront permanently.

[seabeachfred]

I have a feeling the Sox are serious about Hamels. I'm not saying I like it, but I can see the logic there.

 

You're grasping at straws Bellhorn. Hamels has four years left with a big salary and our suddenly cheap bastard owners are loathe to spend anything except for their soccer team. They believe they can in on the cheap. Well Prune Face, if by any chance you're tuning in here, you cannot win on the cheap and as far as your soccer team is concerned.....shove them up your ass.

[a700hitter]

You're grasping at straws Bellhorn. Hamels has four years left with a big salary and our suddenly cheap bastard owners are loathe to spend anything except for their soccer team. They believe they can in on the cheap. Well Prune Face, if by any chance you're tuning in here, you cannot win on the cheap and as far as your soccer team is concerned.....shove them up your ass.

New sig.

[SCM33]

If they can't mend the fence and fix this, I will officially stop being a fan of the Boston Redsox until Larry Lucchino is gone. Larry Lucchino is a f***ing retard and does nothing but continuously f*** things up. Last year was beautiful when we didn't hear a word from him and they let BC run the show.....the second we win the WS last year, that f***ing retard reappears....almost trying to show that he had something to do with last years success.

 

I'd much rather cheer for the guy who REALLY put together that 2004 World Series team, the Duke in Baltimore at Fenway south.....and whatever team Jon Lester goes to. If its the Yankees, so be it. The Redsox almost deserve to have that done to them, but the fans don't. If he goes to the Yanks, I cheer for Jon Lester....and I cheer for an organization that wants to win. Any organization that lets someone like Jon Lester walk out the door.....is comparable to the Montreal Expos letting Pedro Martinez walk out the door. Small market losers mentality.

 

Hopefully they fix this s***.

[SCM33]

Absolutely. Unless they bring in another #1 starter.

 

 

Why would they do that, when they can just re-sign the best available SP on the market....who oh by the way, throws 96 MPH, is lefthanded and is a rare lhp with a track record of success at Fenway?

[a700hitter]

If they can't mend the fence and fix this, I will officially stop being a fan of the Boston Redsox until Larry Lucchino is gone. Larry Lucchino is a f***ing retard and does nothing but continuously f*** things up. Last year was beautiful when we didn't hear a word from him and they let BC run the show.....the second we win the WS last year, that f***ing retard reappears....almost trying to show that he had something to do with last years success.

 

I'd much rather cheer for the guy who REALLY put together that 2004 World Series team, the Duke in Baltimore at Fenway south.....and whatever team Jon Lester goes to. If its the Yankees, so be it. The Redsox almost deserve to have that done to them, but the fans don't. If he goes to the Yanks, I cheer for Jon Lester....and I cheer for an organization that wants to win. Any organization that lets someone like Jon Lester walk out the door.....is comparable to the Montreal Expos letting Pedro Martinez walk out the door. Small market losers mentality.

 

Hopefully they fix this s***.

 

Wow! Just wow! I don't know of I will get to that point but they can shove their reguar season tickets up their ass if Lester walks. I will not be buyong them.