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Red Sox president on Lester: 'We failed to get done what was our goal'

Greg M. Cooper / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino was decidedly blunt Saturday when he addressed his team's inability to reach a deal with left-hander Jon Lester, who opted this week for a six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs instead of a reunion with the team that drafted him in 2002.

"We didn't succeed, so I don't give us a very good grade," Lucchino told the Boston Herald. "We were trying, sincerely, to get him signed, and wanted him to come back here, but free agency is a special opportunity for a player, and it only comes up once or twice if you’re lucky in your career."

Lester reportedly rejected a six-year, $135-million offer from the Red Sox in favor of a $155-million deal with the Cubs that will enable him to reunite with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, two executives he developed a close relationship with during his tenure in Boston.

"We're disappointed, certainly have regrets here and there as to how it all went down, but right now I'm trying to focus on the future and want to express a sense of gratitude to Jon Lester for all he did for us, for the horse that he was for us so many years, a successful pitcher and person," Lucchino said. "I wish him luck. I’m glad it's in the other league and not our league. That’s cold comfort, but some comfort."

Lucchino admitted that his team was unable to accomplish its goal of resigning Lester, but emphasized that the club has still taken steps this winter that should translate to more success in 2015.

"I don't want to get into a step-by-step dissection through the negotiating process," he said. "Just look at the end result. We failed to get done what was our goal. So we are subject to criticism, and rightly so, for that. There were so many steps along the way that could've gone differently. I'd rather look forward and say, 'How about that Red Sox starting rotation, how about lineup for next year, how about that offense?' Let's accentuate some of the positives that came out of this offseason."

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