Trade Of Jon Lester Likely To Happen Today

Jon Lester, ace of the Red Sox rotation and a two-time World Series champion in Boston, is likely going to be traded in the next 36 hours.

This is not just rumor created by baseball reporters or some guy living in his great aunt's basement posting on his personal blog (no, I'm not self-identifying).

Red Sox manager John Farrell announced after last night's loss to the Blue Jays that the team was scratching Lester from his scheduled start tonight due to the "uncertainty surrounding" the pitcher that led his team to the World Series title just 10 months ago.

Let that sink in for a second.  A pitcher that the Red Sox drafted in 2002, developed in their own system, and who then became a champion and All-Star is about to be dealt away before he hits free agency at the age of 30.

This is not the action an organization that generated $230-million in television from NESN in 2013, charges the highest average price for tickets in baseball and that asks for, and receives, upwards of $9 for a draft beer should take with one of its own stars but it looks like that is going to be the case.

The one glimmer of hope for Red Sox fans is that Lester and the Red Sox will part ways now but will come to an agreement on a long-term contract this winter.  That hope comes from Lester's comments to the Boston media that he would be open to re-signing with the Red Sox if he is traded before the end of the season.  I don't know Jon Lester and obviously have no inside knowledge of the discussions between his agents and Red Sox management but I cannot envision him coming back if he is traded.

The more likely scenario is that the Red Sox are about to trade Lester in exchange for a package of prospects.  There are a handful of teams rumored to be seriously interested in acquiring Lester including the Pirates, Blue Jays, Athletics, Cardinals, Orioles, and Dodgers.  Despite an earlier rumor that the Red Sox were working on a trade of Lester to the Dodgers for outfielder Matt Kemp, it looks as if they are more interested in acquiring prospects.

Adding multiple prospects in a trade now is a better scenario than picking up the one draft pick they would get if they held on to him for the rest of the season but lost him in free agency.  From that perspective, trading Lester today or tomorrow makes sense to maximize the return on him.

The problem is that the Red Sox, a team worth over a billion dollars, is not willing to pay for one of the best pitchers in the game at the point of his career in which he's hitting his prime.