Boston Red Sox Rumors: Jon Lester may take less money to re-sign
By Josh Hill
When the Boston Red Sox traded Jon Lester to the Oakland A’s, there seemed to be an understanding or at the very least a confidence that he’d be back in Boston as a free agent signing in the winter.
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But now it’s looking like the Sox could be on the outskirts of the Lester sweepstakes and his return to the team may not be as certain as some fans may have assumed when he was dealt.
According to Jon Heyman from CBSSports, the Red Sox are long shots to land Lester in the offseason but they’re not out of the running by any means. When Lester said he wanted to re-sign with Boston, he may have been very serious and may leave millions of dollars on the table to go to the one place that makes him happy — assuming that’s Boston.
"Lester is a straight shooter, and it’s possible Boston’s the only place that could make Lester happy. But it’s not likely to come down to only a $20 million difference. And if it’s a $50 million gap, Lester would become maybe the first free agent ever to leave that kind of money on the table."
It’s hard to leave that kind of money on the table, especially for a pitcher as they tend to have short life spans once they reach their primes, which is where Lester is currently. But if he truly loves Boston as much as he made it seem, then it’s not impossible to see him leaving millions on the table to take a still hefty deal with the Red Sox.
Be sure to stay glued to FanSided’s MLB Rumors page to stay up to date with the latest action and rumbling from the baseball hot stove this trade season.