Red Sox Owner Henry Makes Another Visit To Jon Lester

According to local Boston area reports, free agent pitcher Jon Lester has once again been visited by Red Sox owner John Henry.

Looks like the MLB hot stove if officially heating up. Actually, it was pretty hot in Boston already, however, things could become absolutely sweltering if this keeps up.

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Reports are now suggesting that Red Sox owner Jon Henry has officially made a second visit to see free agent pitcher Jon Lester this off-season. Lester, 30, is coming off of a career year which saw him finish the season with an impressive line of 16-11, 220 K, and a 2.46 ERA. Despite being dealt from Boston to the Oakland Athletics roughly two thirds of the way through the baseball season, he managed to still finish 4th in the American League Cy Young Award voting. His 155 ERA+ was the highest mark of his career.

There are plenty of teams currently still in the mix for Lester; quite understandable. He is arguably the most valuable free agent left on the market, and would provide any team with a solid front of the rotation presence. As to which one of the teams Lester is leaning towards, your guess is as good as ours. Although, the Chicago Cubs have the advantage of former Sox GM Theo Epstein as President of Baseball Operations for their club now. Though Epstein did not draft him (that was then interim GM Mike Port), he was the first GM that Lester ever played for. Thus, there would be a certain level of comfort there, as the two teamed up for a World Series championship in 2007.

Still, if the Red Sox could sway Lester back into Boston, it would complete a trio of signings that instantly transforms Boston into a playoff contender. Earlier this off-season, the team completed the signings of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, two of the premier hitters on the free agent market.

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