Boston Red Sox Rumors: Time for Jon Lester to come home
Veteran free agent pitcher Jon Lester has expressed interest in finishing his career with the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox are on the market for reliable starting pitching and one of the most reliable pitchers out there is someone the team is very familiar with. Yes, his name is Jon Lester.
After being traded in mid-2014 to the Oakland A’s, Lester has spent the last several seasons with the Chicago Cubs at the top of their rotation. Now, he is once again available, and the Red Sox have the opportunity to bury the hatchet with the 36-year-old pitcher.
The only question is whether Lester would be interested in returning to Boston.
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Well, he answered that question back in May when asked about a possible return to the Red Sox following the 2020 season.
"“Absolutely it would be cool to go back and finish my career where it all started (in Boston),” Lester told WEEI’s Rob Bradford, via NBC Sports. “But, I’ve got a little time before I really have to sit down and weigh that decision, even if it’s something where they want me back. Hopefully, I’m still a good enough caliber pitcher that the want of my services will still be out there for people. We’ll see.”"
While age appeared to be a reason why the team low-balled him back in 2014, the Red Sox have certainly changed their tune when it comes to offering big contracts to pitchers over the age of 30. Chris Sale got a giant contract extension, and the team has expressed interest in pitchers like J.A. Happ and obviously Trevor Bauer.
Speaking of Sale, with the ace pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Boston Red Sox don’t have much as far as a guarantee at the top of the rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez returns from his own season-ending illness and Nathan Eovaldi struggles with consistency.
Lester, a pitcher who has won 193 games in his 15-game career, is someone who could at least help solidify a rotation that had no identity in 2020. He only pitched 12 games in a shortened 2020 campaign, but he obviously still has it winning 18 games in 2018.
Can he return to form with the team he began his major league career?
It would certainly be a nice ending to his career and also great for Red Sox fans to see one of their favorites back in Boston.
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With a 110-63 record in his nine seasons with the Boston Red Sox, a Jon Lester return would be a great way for the team to bounce back from a horrible 2020 season. He is certainly not the answer, but he is no doubt one of the answers who could bring the Red Sox back near the top of the AL East.