I'm not at all convinced they'll pay what it takes to get Shields. A few teams will be in on him too. His price will exceed any valuation they place on him.
Didn't Farrell also say something about where Cespedes will be playing for us next year though?
I will be shocked and enraged if they trade Betts. I don't think they'll do it, no way.
I'm going to play devil's advocate here and suggest that the market may stay absurdly high for a few more years. There are more teams now with money to throw around. It's at a point where even the richest teams can't find any easy route to upgrading their team.
If Cherington can put together a playoff-caliber rotation without blowing the budget sky-high or raping the farm, it'll be his finest hour.
I'm not going to the dark side, seriously. About 90% of the time I'm still even-keeled about it all. Some things I do get emotional about. Losing a guy like Lester is one of them. But I'll get over it.
I'll say this - he shouldn't be written off. When he's healthy he can be a hell of a player. I think we're all just very cynical about his health issues ever going away.
I think it's pretty clear the Red Sox will deal Cespedes, and probably could have dealt him already to more than one team, but they're holding out for a better offer.