Report: Athletics, Cardinals, Dodgers, Pirates 'all in mix' for Lester
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Just hours after the Boston Red Sox scratched left-hander Jon Lester from Wednesday's scheduled start amid rampant trade speculation, a list of prospective suitors for the 30-year-old's services emerged, courtesy of Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Sources: #STLCards, #Dodgers, #Pirates all in mix for #RedSox’s Lester.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2014
Source: #Athletics also in the mix for Lester, as first reported by @GordonEdes.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2014
The list of potential destinations for Lester, who's widely expected to be dealt before Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline, was further refined through sources of WEEI's Rob Bradford, who reported earlier that the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Milwaukee Brewers are not in the mix for the two-time All-Star.
Many pundits expect the Cardinals to add a starter before Thursday's deadline, as injuries have consigned both Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia to the disabled list, while Shelby Miller has battled fatigue in recent weeks.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, boast a superb one-two tandem in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but the rest of the rotation has struggled since the All-Star break, as Dan Haren owns a 7.45 ERA over his last two starts, and Josh Beckett has not looked sharp since returning from the disabled list.
The Pirates were identified Tuesday as a potential landing spot for Lester, and though their starting pitching has been effective of late, the club boasts a bevy of minor-league talent that could entice the Red Sox into shipping Lester to Pittsburgh.
The A's, meanwhile, boast baseball's best record, and best run differential, and adding Lester would give them an incredible starting rotation on paper.