Jon Lester, San Francisco Giants to meet next week
By Tyler Birss
Jon Lester and the San Francisco Giants will be meeting next week, according to a report from ESPN. After losing third baseman and fan favorite Pablo Sandoval in free agency, speculation has emerged that San Francisco will respond with a splash. Lester would certainly fit that definition.
Despite a World Series championship in 2014 – the team’s third title in the last five years – the Giants have significant holes in its starting rotation. Matt Cain‘s health is unpredictable, Tim Lincecum is no longer an effective starter and Ryan Vogelsong isn’t entirely worth bringing back. Lester and Bumgarner would form a devastating one-two combination. With finances to support the move, this marriage makes quite a bit of sense.
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San Francisco is an extremely desirable place for a pitcher. Lester’s relentless cutters and pinpoint accuracy would gel nicely with AT&T Park’s spacious outfield. He’d also be joining a thriving market with arguably the best home crowd environment in the MLB.
Last season, between the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics, the southpaw ace posted a career-best 2.46 ERA en route to a 16-11 record and 220 strikeouts – only increasing his stock heading into free agency this winter.
There’s also the draw of unparallelled leadership. Bruce Bochy is the game’s best manager. Brian Sabean is one of the strongest general managers in Major League Baseball. For a reserved personality and dedicated competitor in Lester, Bochy and Sabean would be a dream to play under.
Other draws include tossing every five days to the premier catcher in baseball, Buster Posey. He’s known for developing connections with all of his pitchers. Behind Bumgarner, Posey and Lester, the Giants would end the odd streak of missing the playoffs after winning a World Series title. Lester’s arrival would keep them in playoff contention on an annual basis.
The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and other organizations are still in the Lester sweepstakes. The endgame could be a bidding war. Come next week though, the Giants will have a chance to lure Lester away from other suitors. They have the leadership, market and ballpark to land a stellar starting pitcher. It’s just a matter of convincing Lester that San Francisco is the ideal place for his talents.