Red Sox Rant: The Case for Jon Lester

     Fans love him and want him. Ownership? Not so much. The player: Jon Lester. The hot topic within the Red Sox organization is the pursuit of resigning Jon Lester. They have the money to pay him and they cannot afford to lose him, so it makes sense to resign him correct? So what are they Red Sox waiting for?

     Ownership is being very careful in saying they do not want to bring him back. In a quote from the Boston Globe, owner John Henry said “virtually all of the underpaid players are under 30 and virtually all the overpaid players are over 30. Yet teams continue to extravagantly overpay for players above the age of 30.” The message: We are not going to pay Jon Lester.

     During the Theo Epstein times, the team faulted on the contracts of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett. Since, they have dished out user friendly contracts to players such as Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, etc. They elect to give out two or three year deals at the expense of more money per year. Simply, Henry refuses to commit big money in the long term.

     However, Henry must give a little. Signing Jon Lester is a must. No more disgustingly low contract offers, no more gimmicks, just give the man his money and accept that he is willing to take a slight discount in order to stay at home in Boston. Here is what the Red Sox miss not signing Lester:

2008: 210 innings pitched (IP), 16 Wins, 3.21 Earned Run Average (ERA).

2009: 203 IP, 15 Wins, 3.41 ERA

2010: 208 IP, 19 Wins, 3.25 ERA

2011: 191 IP, 15 Wins, 3.47 ERA

2012: 205 IP, 9 Wins, 4.82 ERA

2013: 213 IP, 15 Wins, 3.75 ERA

2014*:  137 IP, 10 Wins, 2.50 ERA

*Season still in progress

     Need I remind you of his stats in the playoffs? In eleven starts, Lester has six wins and an ERA of 2.11. In the World Series? Three starts, three wins, 0.43 ERA. Lester is amazingly good in the regular season and abnormally good in the playoffs.

     If the Red Sox refuse to budge from their offer, they must have a replacement in mind. Cole Hamels’s name has been thrown around. It would take three good prospects to get him here though. They could pursue James Shields in free agency, a personal favorite of mine. They can also look internally for a solution.

Rubby De La Rosa has pitched very well this year, along with Brandon Workman. They will both find themselves in the rotation next year. Allen Webster has experience in the majors and has pitched to a 4-4 record and a 3.05 ERA in Triple A this year. They also have prospects Henry Owens, Matt Barnes, and Anthony Ranaudo waiting in the wings.

     Lester’s situation is not easy. Teams such as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers will give him the money he wants, but if Lester really wants to stay in Boston, he will have to put up with the negotiations. The Red Sox must get serious as well. No more low-balling. Give the man his money because the Red Sox will lose one of the best starters in the American League to a rival.