Boston Red Sox unlikely to sign Jon Lester in offseason

The Boston Red Sox traded away Jon Lester this summer with the notion that he’d be open to re-signing with the team once the winter and free agency hit.

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But wanting to re-sign and actually re-signing are two different things. I want to be married to Kate Upton but it actually happening is slim — and so are the chances of the Red Sox re-signing Lester this offseason.

According to Jon Heyman from CBSSports, the Red Sox are long shots to re-sign Jon Lester this offseason but that’s not new information to the front office.

"When the Red Sox traded him, the belief was that they understood its chances to re-sign him were slim, and there’s no reason to believe they believe otherwise now. The trade itself raised Lester’s value by eliminating the possibility a qualifying offer may be made (and the draft-pick attachment that’s affected recent free agents), and the Red Sox understood that."

The Yankees have been identified as favorites to land Lester on the open market, which is typical of a situation like this. While Lester is with the A’s now and re-signing there can’t be discounted, he’s always been loyal to the Red Sox and the Yankees snatching him away when Boston is helpless to the situation seems like the sort of thing that would happen to amp up the rivalry.

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.