Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: Is Jon Lester a Reality?
By Todd Pheifer
Here we go again. The Seattle Mariners continue to be mentioned in trade rumors, and for some reason they continue to be linked to pitchers. Here is the latest:
Sources: #Mariners have called on #RedSox’s Lester. SEA has been on Price. Lester lower acquisition cost, native of Tacoma, Wa.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2014
First it was constant David Price chatter, and now Jon Lester‘s name is coming up. Seriously? Another starting pitcher?
Look, I get it. You can never have enough starting pitching. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are awesome and Chris Young has been surprising effective all year, but beyond that there are some questions. Taijuan Walker looks a bit shaky. James Paxton isn’t back yet and could have a cloudy health future. Roenis Elias may hit a wall at some point.
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In other words, there could be a spot for Lester. The problem is that the ace of the Boston Red Sox would most likely be a rental. I don’t care if he is from Tacoma. Lester has been with the BoSox his whole career and he indicated that he could see himself going back there after the season. So much for Boston negotiating from a position of strength.
Are the Mariners one starting pitcher away from a deep run in the playoffs? Not exactly.
Despite Lester’s recent comments, Boston is not going to give him away. This means that the Mariners may need to cough up a premium prospect or two. Or three.
In addition, acquiring Lester will not help the offense, which is still lacking in one or two bats. Or three.
Yes, Dustin Ackley has been looking good over the last couple of weeks. Sure, Kendrys Morales may eventually figure it out and be effective. Unfortunately, neither of those realities are particularly assuring at this point.
Jack Zduriencik can certainly pick up the phone and chat with the Red Sox. However, he should be careful. There are bigger needs on this team, and great pitching alone will not carry this club to the playoffs.