Jon Lester is not going to sign a contract extension with the Boston Red Sox. Not during the regular season, at least. He is, however, very warm to the idea of remaining in Boston, despite the team’s lowball offer to Lester earlier this year. The Red Sox ace actually went on to say that he understands that MLB is a business, and that if the Red Sox trade Lester by the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline, he would still like to re-sign with the Red Sox following the 2014 season. To me, it would be insane for Boston not to trade Lester, knowing that they could receive a large haul in return, and still bring the pitcher back in three or four months for the same price it would cost them right now.
Matt Kemp is playing in a crowded outfield for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has grown rather unhappy due to his playing time and position change, and his agent even came out and publicly stated that a change of scenery may be the best case scenario for Kemp. The problem is, Kemp’s statistics do not come anywhere matching up with his salary. Kemp is owed $119 million through the 2019 season, which the Dodgers would have to pay a large portion of if they have any real desire to move the disgruntled outfielder.
Going back to Boston, it is no secret that the Red Sox have been long-rumored to be interested in Kemp. They could use some help in the outfield, and have been involved in big deals with the Dodgers in the past. After all, it was just a couple of years ago when Boston unloaded the contracts of Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to Los Angeles. This time, it would be the Red Sox who would be taking on the bigger contract, although it would be the Dodgers who would likely have to pay the majority of what is left.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers already have one of the best starting pitching rotations in all of baseball in Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Beckett. Adding another starter the caliber of Lester may just be enough to put the team in the World Series. We know that money is of no object to L.A., meaning taking on Lester for a few months and paying Kemp to go away would not be out of the realm of possibilities.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that if the Red Sox decide to move Lester, the Dodgers may have more than enough to acquire him, both in terms of payroll and prospects. Along with Kemp, the Red Sox could ask for to center field prospect Joc Pederson and/or pitching prospects Chris Anderson or Zach Lee. Depending on what they are willing to give up, the Dodgers certainly have the ammunition to acquire Lester from the Red Sox.
The question is, will it happen by Thursday?
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