MLB Trade Rumors: Will Boston’s Jon Lester Land With Pittsburgh Pirates?

The clock is winding down as 4 p.m. Thursday is the MLB trade deadline, and what initially appeared to be a quiet time for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, now they have been linked to Boston Red Sox pitcherJon Lester.

Lester reportedly has been confused by the Red Sox aggression to have contract talks during the season. The Red Sox normally wait until after the season to have these talks and Lester does not want the distraction.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pirates and Oakland Athletics have expressed interest in the left-handed starter, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that as of Wednesday morning that the Dodgers are in the lead. Meanwhile Pete Abraham of theBoston Globereported the Red Sox were not satisfied with any offers the various teams presented.

With this and more in Lester’s mind, Boston managerJohn Farrelldecided that his staff ace will not make his scheduled start Wednesday.

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Were the Pirates to acquire Lester, it would show their seriousness towards a playoff chase. They are currently a game back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and currently hold the National League’s second wild card spot.

Lester would join a rotation that includes a rejuvenatedFrancisco Liriano, a more confidentCharlie Mortonand soon a re-energizedGerrit Cole. He would be able to make things easier for aVance WorleyorEdinson Volquez, and also become the staff ace to put less pressure on the rest of the staff.

All of this sounds great, but there always is a price and in this case maybeJosh Bellor other prospects would have to be included in a trade. General manager Neal Huntington has repeatedly said that team does not want to sacrifice tomorrow for today. His contention is that the Pirates are in a good position with what they currently have. He does not want to sacrifice the talented farm system he built for a player who has two months on his contact.

This type of deal reminds me of theC.C. Sabathiatrade to Milwaukee in 2008 where the Brewers gave up four players. WhileMichael Brantleywas the only one that panned out, you always run that risk.

Personally, I am against trading for two months of Lester. There is no chance the Pirates would be able to re-sign him and all signs would point to a return to Boston. The Pirates and Red Sox have been trade partners before andMark MelanconandStolmy Pimentelare making contributions in Pittsburgh as a result.

The Red Sox have a high price tag on Lester, especially with no sign ofDavid Priceleaving Tampa Bay. This season Lester has 211 outs via the fly ball and 180 ground ball outs. Huntington has gone after pitchers that get outs via the ground out and Lester has not fit that bill this season.

On one hand acquiring Lester would be a great message to fans. It would shed some of the thought that the team is cheap and further excite the Pirates fan base. On the other hand, the price is almost certainly too high and it goes against everything Huntington believes in.

It’s encouraging the Pirates are in these talks, however a pass here is the right move.