Jon Lester has offer in hand from Boston Red Sox

Jon Lester has been a popular topic of discussion for the past week, as teams try to work their way into the mix with the hope of signing him to a long term deal. While the left-hander will surely have options, it’s long been believed that he’s likely to end up back with the Boston Red Sox or with the Chicago Cubs.

Reports would suggest that things are moving right along, as Lester has already received a contract offer from the Red Sox.

ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes notes that the team isn’t expecting an immediate decision from Lester on their offer. That’s common practice, particularly for a situation such as Lester’s where there are numerous teams that have asked to meet with him. Lester, so far, has only met with Boston – though those meetings are said to have involved members of ownership in addition to GM Ben Cherington and the front office.

Lester has a meeting with the Cubs scheduled. He and Cubs president Theo Epstein have ties that go back to their time in Boston together. He will reportedly meet with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Lester makes his offseason home in an Atlanta suburb. The St. Louis Cardinals are also believed to have contacted his agents about setting up time to talk. The Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals also have interest.

It remains to be seen how aggressive Boston’s first offer might be to Lester. The team made attempts last Spring to sign him to an extension, but the two sides were never able to get close to an agreement. It was believed at the time that Boston’s offer was short both in terms of length and total value. The team ultimately ended up trading him at the July trade deadline, facing the thought that they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him once he hits the open market. Lester’s public comments at the time of the deal, however, somewhat suggested that a reunion shouldn’t be ruled out and he’d remain open to talks when the time would come.

Lester is 116-67 over his nine year career, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.276 WHIP in 1,596 innings of work – all but 76.2 IP of which came with the Red Sox.