Dodgers reportedly join Jon Lester sweepstakes as decision nears
We thought it was down to three. The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants were the teams trying to woo free-agent lefty Jon Lester to sign with them for upward of $120 million.
With a decision reportedly looming from Lester’s camp, it sounds like there’s another suitor. And wouldn’t you know, it’s those big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers, swooping in like an eBay bidder who waits until the final minute.
The Dodgers’ $240 million payroll couldn’t get it done in 2014. So, the thinking goes, add another ace. The Dodgers’ interest in Lester has been characterized as “serious,” according to Alex Speier and Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston. They write:
One industry source was under the impression that the Dodgers had already entered the bidding with an offer to Lester, while another characterized the Dodgers as poised to play a role similar to the one made by the Yankees in December 2008, when New York swooped in late to sign Mark Teixeira away from other interested bidders with a high bid of eight years and $180 million.
The Dodgers, for as rich as they are, haven’t done much yet this offseason. They’ve rebuilt their front office, sure, but haven’t made any signifigant roster moves. There are rumors about trading one of their high-priced outfielders, and that’s likely still to come. Adding another pitcher — as to not depend too much on the Josh Becketts and Dan Harens of the world behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke — is also on their to-do list.
Getting Lester, however, would be huge and would immediately shift the balance of power in the NL West back to SoCal. (Not that the Dodgers altogether lost it, but the Giants did win the World Series and that’s the point of all this).
The Lester-to-the-Dodgers talk has baseball insiders thinking about other L.A. moves. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish ran a story saying a Lester signing could lead to the Dodgers trading Zack Greinke, who has opt-out clause in his contract after 2015. But ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick shot that down Thursday, saying the Dodgers aren’t into shuffling around pieces, just building a winner.
As for Lester, the Dodgers have the money to drive his price past the $120-$130 million deals we’ve been hearing about. They could be raising the stakes to price out the Giants, or they could be following their own strategy all along — enter the sweepstakes late and blow away the competition.
Lester’s said in the past these decisions aren’t just about the money (but many players say that). If it is about the money, though, the Dodgers will be tough to beat.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
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