332 replies to this topic

[The Filthy One]

Am I the only one who thinks this deal makes sense for the Royals? They give up a hitting prospect, but they are rich with young hitters, many of whom are now entering their primes. It's conceivable their offense could be among the best in the league next year, without Myers. Maybe they think Lester's 2012 was just a down year and he can bounce back and be a front of the rotation pitcher. If he can, and they can catch a few breaks, they can contend in the AL Central. It's not a slam dunk, but I don't think it's madness from their perspective.

I think I would do the trade and go hard after Sanchez. Make him your top free agent target.

[MikeM]

Makes no sense from the Royals side. And too good to be true from the Sox side.

This is where i'm basically at. Although i guess if KC really was that hell bent on finding a potential #1, and you then factor in:

- the general availability of such to begin with

- the uphill battle they face when signing any potential agent options

- how much the realistically have or can afford to spend

- they do play in the cupcake division

......i guess Lester at $11.6/$13m the next 2 years *might* make some sense, on some level.

Edited by MikeM, 26 November 2012 - 11:03 PM.

[sodenj5]

Am I the only one who thinks this deal makes sense for the Royals? They give up a hitting prospect, but they are rich with young hitters, many of whom are now entering their primes. It's conceivable their offense could be among the best in the league next year, without Myers. Maybe they think Lester's 2012 was just a down year and he can bounce back and be a front of the rotation pitcher. If he can, and they can catch a few breaks, they can contend in the AL Central. It's not a slam dunk, but I don't think it's madness from their perspective.

I think I would do the trade and go hard after Sanchez. Make him your top free agent target.

KC has had a lot of success developing hitters, but next to no luck developing pitchers. Lester could also benefit greatly moving from the meat grinder known as the AL East, which has to be part of the logic.

[StuckOnYouk]

Does Farrell factor into this and whether or not he's leaning on Ben to keep Lester? Farrell has always been in Lester's corner, going all the way back to the rumored Santana talks.

[Bigpupp]

......i guess Lester at $11.6/$13m the next 2 years *might* make some sense, on some level.

But Lester gets to void the option next year if he's traded. So they would be trading Myers for one guaranteed year of Lester.

I'm going to assume that throwing the Red Sox name into the mix is only to squeeze something more out of the Rays. It has to be.

[SoxScout]

But Lester gets to void the option next year if he's traded.

This was once thought, but it is really only voidable if he was 1st or 2nd in Cy voting.

"if Lester finishes 1st or 2nd in Cy Young vote and is later traded, he may void 2014 option"

Edited by SoxScout, 26 November 2012 - 11:11 PM.

[4-6-3]

Am I the only one who thinks this deal makes sense for the Royals? They give up a hitting prospect, but they are rich with young hitters, many of whom are now entering their primes. It's conceivable their offense could be among the best in the league next year, without Myers. Maybe they think Lester's 2012 was just a down year and he can bounce back and be a front of the rotation pitcher. If he can, and they can catch a few breaks, they can contend in the AL Central. It's not a slam dunk, but I don't think it's madness from their perspective.

I think I would do the trade and go hard after Sanchez. Make him your top free agent target.

The do have some good young players but need pitching. Also, they are losing Broxton. Does it make sense for KC to pickup a Bailey or Melancon plus a Salty/Lavarnway in this deal?

[941827]

Doesn't Buchholz qualify as a young pitcher?

Everyone's definition is different, I guess. I think of "young" players as 25 or younger. The A's best starters, for example, have 1988 and 1987 birthdays. Those are young pitchers.

[SoxScout]

The do have some good young players but need pitching. Also, they are losing Broxton. Does it make sense for KC to pickup a Bailey or Melancon plus a Salty/Lavarnway in this deal?

They have like 3 guys who can close right now and probably the most filthy pen in baseball. No way in hell on Bailey. I think just about anyone in baseball would take Melancon or Lavarnway considering control and how cheap they are. No need to pay for Salty with Perez.

[bosockboy]

They have like 3 guys who can close right now and probably the most filthy pen in baseball. No way in hell on Bailey. I think just about anyone in baseball would take Melancon or Lavarnway considering control and how cheap they are. No need to pay for Salty with Perez.

They are also looking at bringing Soria back.

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The do have some good young players but need pitching. Also, they are losing Broxton. Does it make sense for KC to pickup a Bailey or Melancon plus a Salty/Lavarnway in this deal?

Small distinction but they already "lost" Broxton last season when they traded him to the Reds at the trade deadline. That and Broxton is a bullpen arm.

That said, this is precisely the sort of deal that Boston needs to do, even if they think Lester is a bounce-back candidate. Myers is a risk but its the type or risk the Sox need to take to rebuild into a true division power (and not just some patched-together WC contender).

A young, cost-controlled potential clean-up hitter...yeah, probably not gonna happen.

[E5 Yaz]

Kansas City has set a $70 million cap this season. Taking on Lester's contract would necessitate either the Sox chipping in some money and/or the Royals adding on a contract in return. The KC Star story suggests Bruce Chen ($4.5M). If they want a young outfielder in the deal as well, it would undoubtedly be Kalish.


JimBowdenESPNxm JIM BOWDEN
Before KC trades Will Myers to RedSox for Lester they should make sure to MRI shoulder & elbow & be concerned about decline of rates & velo

Edited by E5 Yaz, 26 November 2012 - 11:35 PM.

[Rasputin]

I am remarkably conflicted.

On the one hand, Myers looks like he would completely frikkin' rock and trading a relatively expensive guy who just had his worst season ever for a relatively cheap guy whose best years are all in front of him...well, it makes sense.

On the other hand, I really like Jon Lester and want him on my team.

[Laser Show]

I am remarkably conflicted.

On the one hand, Myers looks like he would completely frikkin' rock and trading a relatively expensive guy who just had his worst season ever for a relatively cheap guy whose best years are all in front of him...well, it makes sense.

On the other hand, I really like Jon Lester and want him on my team.

I really want Wil Myers. But I just can't see how trading a 28 year old, lefty, potential ace is a good move for a team desperate for pitching, despite all of his recent problems.

I think at the end of the day, this is one of those things I'll be content with either way.

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

I am remarkably conflicted.

On the one hand, Myers looks like he would completely frikkin' rock and trading a relatively expensive guy who just had his worst season ever for a relatively cheap guy whose best years are all in front of him...well, it makes sense.

On the other hand, I really like Jon Lester and want him on my team.

We can do this all offseason and into 2013 (we did it through most of 2012) because its unlikely this deal will happen. But the Jon Lester you "really like" probably isn't ever going to pitch again for the Boston Red Sox.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

We can do this all offseason and into 2013 (we did it through most of 2012) because its unlikely this deal will happen. But the Jon Lester you "really like" probably isn't ever going to pitch again for the Boston Red Sox.

This is where I'm at. There are enough reasons to believe that the dominant ace we enjoyed a few seasons ago isn't coming back that I pull the trigger on a one for one swap in a heartbeat, even if it means picking up the bulk of Lester's contract. To be honest, I would probably pick up the bulk of the contract and throw in a top ten prospect not named Bogaerts, Bradley, Barnes or DLR.

I also agree that making this deal probably necessitates landing one of the free agent pitchers for more years than most of us would be comfortable (Sanchez is probably my favorite target of the bunch), and would add that they could probably do well to nab a guy on the next teir like Marcum.

Buchholz, Sanchez, Marcum, Doubront, Lackey to start the year? You could certainly do worse and the 2014 roster would be incredibly stacked with young players with enormous ceilings.

Edit: The prospect whore in me is coming out, but the idea of a a 2014 lineup of Bradley, Pedroia, Ortiz, Napoli, Myers, Middlebrooks, Bogaerts, Lavarnway, Gomes/Nava/FA? is making me drool.

Edited by Snodgrass'Muff, 27 November 2012 - 02:25 AM.

[E5 Yaz]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Just to clear: All the #RedSox did was talk briefly to the Royals. Nothing is happening. All is well, return to your homes.


Rob Bradford ‏@bradfo
No stopwatch put on length of Red Sox, Royals talks, but were legit conversations. Nothing close right now.

Edited by E5 Yaz, 27 November 2012 - 02:32 AM.

[HangingW/ScottCooper]

I really want Wil Myers. But I just can't see how trading a 28 year old, lefty, potential ace is a good move for a team desperate for pitching, despite all of his recent problems.

I think at the end of the day, this is one of those things I'll be content with either way.

I think it's safe to say at this point that Lester has missed the opportunity to be that ace. It doesn't mean his career is over, but I don't see him evolving into a true #1.

[yecul]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Just to clear: All the #RedSox did was talk briefly to the Royals. Nothing is happening. All is well, return to your homes.


Rob Bradford ‏@bradfo
No stopwatch put on length of Red Sox, Royals talks, but were legit conversations. Nothing close right now.

This is how I saw it. It's a great rumor to have and it's great that we are seeing some bold legitimate talks. Sure, it's just smoke and 99% of the time this kind of deal will never move forward, but I want to hear this kind of thing. The team is not built for now and Lester is 1. declining, 2. not getting younger and 3. will require a new contract at some point. While they don't have to move him or similar players this is obviously the kind of trade that you should be looking to make. Myers is a foundation player.

Why would the Royals want to do this? Signing one or two players isn't going to cut it. If they can mortgage the future for some sort of short term push, then that would likely be more helpful in rebuilding fan interest than rolling out a Gil Meche once a year. I think this particular deal would be very unwise for them, but trying to build a (legitimately) competitive team with a 2-3 year window would be good to see.

[soxfan121]

Why would the Royals want to do this?

Jonah Keri addresses this - sort of - in this piece.

Group 9: If the Royals Can Ever Find Some Pitching, They're Going to Be Freaking Terrifying

Three Royals position players (Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, and Moustakas) made this list. One (Alcides Escobar) just missed. Another (Wil Myers) almost certainly would have if we'd included minor leaguers who haven't yet made The Show. When Myers and Johnny Giavotella come up and claim starting jobs in K.C. sometime next season, the Royals will have all nine starters at age 28 or younger, all signed at least through 2015.

The Royals need pitching and are loaded with young hitting. So swapping one of those hitters for a solid #2 makes some sense. But signing Greinke and trading for a legit #2 makes them on-paper favorites for the division. To sign Greinke, they'd need to fill a couple of other roster spots very cheaply and dump some salary - Chen, or preferably Francouer.

So, the Royals are looking to swap Wil Myers for a Jon Lester or James Shields ... and to dump a contract(s) while getting back other useful parts. That makes a ton of sense. The Red Sox could absorb Francouer & Chen (and pay them to go away if they truly suck) to get a guy like Myers. Lester, Kalish & Butler for Myers, Francouer & Chen is KC's hopes and dreams. KC is ready for a run right now. They've got Santana as a potential #3 in this scenario and the best possible sales pitch to Greinke.

Ben Cherington, hopefully, is thinking he can take one of those dirtbags but not both and BC is thinking Tampa can't afford to take either dirtbag. Friedman is thinking Shields has been better recently than Lester so he can wait it out without taking back a dirtbag.

[Seabass177]

Jonah Keri addresses this - sort of - in this piece.


The Royals need pitching and are loaded with young hitting. So swapping one of those hitters for a solid #2 makes some sense. But signing Greinke and trading for a legit #2 makes them on-paper favorites for the division. To sign Greinke, they'd need to fill a couple of other roster spots very cheaply and dump some salary - Chen, or preferably Francouer.

So, the Royals are looking to swap Wil Myers for a Jon Lester or James Shields ... and to dump a contract(s) while getting back other useful parts. That makes a ton of sense. The Red Sox could absorb Francouer & Chen (and pay them to go away if they truly suck) to get a guy like Myers. Lester, Kalish & Butler for Myers, Francouer & Chen is KC's hopes and dreams. KC is ready for a run right now. They've got Santana as a potential #3 in this scenario and the best possible sales pitch to Greinke.

Ben Cherington, hopefully, is thinking he can take one of those dirtbags but not both and BC is thinking Tampa can't afford to take either dirtbag. Friedman is thinking Shields has been better recently than Lester so he can wait it out without taking back a dirtbag.

The bolded point is the most important one here. Detroit won the Central with 88 wins - a number KC must figure they can make a run at if they can make some serious improvements in the rotation. If you're KC, why not make a play for the legit leap that the Nats just made? They've got 38 games against the Twins and Indians. Their bullpen is a strength, and you can project ALL of Butler, Gordon, Moustakas, Cain, Escobar, Perez and Hosmer as 3-6 win players if they stay healthy. If they can get a bounceback year from Santana and Lester reverts to his pre-2012 self their rotation is now passable. If Jake Odorizzi can transition to the bigs and Guthrie can give you 200 league average innings, then the rotation can be a strength.

I'm not saying that this scenario is particularly likely, but it's not something out of the realm of possibility. And if you're the Royals, and you've been so bad for such a long time, why not try to make a run at the playoffs now? You're not mortgaging your team's future and you still have the core of young position players in place if the Lester/Santana experiment doesn't work out.

When you're the worst franchise in baseball, how much do you have to lose?

[drbretto]

I don't get this at all. If this prospect is so great, can't KC do better than Lester? And while their relative values may be skewed to the point that you'd have to take the trade, wouldn't you rather see more pitching? It just seems like the Red Sox are the worst possible trade partners here.

[SoxScout]

I don't get this at all. If this prospect is so great, can't KC do better than Lester?

No, because if you have a real ace you aren't trading it for anything.

[Laser Show]

I don't get this at all. If this prospect is so great, can't KC do better than Lester? And while their relative values may be skewed to the point that you'd have to take the trade, wouldn't you rather see more pitching? It just seems like the Red Sox are the worst possible trade partners here.

To answer the first part: No matter how great he is, he's still a prospect. As far as available "front-line" pitchers, Shields and Lester are probably the best they're going to get for someone who has never played in the bigs.

But yea, I'm hesitant about taking away from the pitching staff right now.

[bosockboy]

I don't get this at all. If this prospect is so great, can't KC do better than Lester? And while their relative values may be skewed to the point that you'd have to take the trade, wouldn't you rather see more pitching? It just seems like the Red Sox are the worst possible trade partners here.

Well Lester doesn't have a crazy contract. He's in that sweet spot of "good but not too good" (to be making 16-18 million annually).

[Savin Hillbilly]

I don't get this at all. If this prospect is so great, can't KC do better than Lester? And while their relative values may be skewed to the point that you'd have to take the trade, wouldn't you rather see more pitching? It just seems like the Red Sox are the worst possible trade partners here.

KC may be looking at Lester's home/road splits. I had forgotten how stark they were last year--he was two completely different pitchers, one in Boston and the other everywhere else. Perhaps the best way to sum it up is with the slash lines: hitters went .297/.362/.508 against Lester at home, .236/.293/.364 on the road. Would you give up Myers for that road guy? Yeah, I think you would.

[Corsi]

According to an industry source, the Red Sox have not had any discussions with left-hander Jon Lester about a potential extension. Lester is entering the last season of a five-year, $30 million deal he signed at the start of the 2009 season. He is slated to earn $11.675 million in 2013, with the Sox holding a $13 million option on his services in 2014.

A major league source said that the Red Sox and Royals have discussed a possible deal that would send Lester to Kansas City in exchange for top prospect Wil Myers (with additional players going in both directions), though for now, no deal appears close.

http://www.weei.com/...alked-extension

[Paradigm]

This is a fun trade to talk about, but I really can't imagine it happening, only because if the Royals were really dangling this kind of deal to the Rays, the Rays would have jumped on it, thrown in more talent, and picked up salary to make it happen. Myers makes that team a World Series contender; they have internal candidates to fill Shields' spot right now.

But, as mentioned earlier in the thread, after the Crawford/Beckett transaction last year, I'll never again assume anything is impossible in baseball. Unfortunately, it also means that we'll dream about these deals happening.

No, because if you have a real ace you aren't trading it for anything.

True. I don't think a cost-controlled pitcher like Sale, or a worthy investment like Kershaw, would be available for Myers.

Edited by Paradigm, 27 November 2012 - 12:04 PM.

[SoxScout]

Jim Duquette just said on SiriusXM that even outside of this rumor, there is a lot of smoke around Lester's name right now. Talked about a souring relationship or something. He went on the bash the Sox about having no vision.

Edited by SoxScout, 27 November 2012 - 11:55 AM.

[Corsi]

This is a fun trade to talk about, but I can't imagine it happening, only because if the Royals were really dangling this kind of deal to the Rays, the Rays would have jumped on it twice, thrown in prospects, and picked up salary to make it happen.

Bradford reported yesterday:

Any such deal wasn't classified as being close, with the Royals also looking into acquiring Tampa Bay starter James Shields in a separate package of players.

http://www.weei.com/...sed-lester-deal

Italics mine.

[Jed Zeppelin]

Jim Duquette just said on SiriusXM that even outside of this rumor, there is a lot of smoke around Lester's name right now. Talked about a souring relationship or something. He went on the bash the Sox about having no vision.

I have no idea how the team (or any team) can be judged before the winter meetings and before anything of real significance beyond the Marlins trade has happened.

[Trautwein's Degree]

Jim Duquette just said on SiriusXM that even outside of this rumor, there is a lot of smoke around Lester's name right now. Talked about a souring relationship or something. He went on the bash the Sox about having no vision.

Which is interesting, the Sox front office clearly has a vision. That vision is to dump everyone with the exception of Pedroia and Ortiz who were a part of the 2011 collapse. They are looking at 2014 and beyond.

[Corsi]

Heyman on with Gresh & Zo right now and he says that he has not heard that this deal is on the front-burner. Hard for him to imagine Boston doing the deal because they're trying to contend next year. Calls it a longshot. But doesn't sound like he knows too much.

[RedOctober3829]

Heyman doesn't know much about this deal because there's no Scott Boras clients involved. I believe that the percentage of Lester being traded is higher than we thought previously given Jim Duquette's comment about a lot of smoke around his name.

[smastroyin]

I'm not against the trade per se, but I think people are somehow equating Lester with a middle of the rotation starter.

At risk of irritating Abs, I'm just going to go ahead and use fWAR to shorten this post.

Among starting pitchers:

2008: 5.1 WAR, 12th in MLB, 7th in AL
2009: 6.4 WAR, 8th in MLB, 5th in AL
2010: 5.8 WAR, 9th in MLB, 4th in AL
2011: 3.7 WAR, 32nd in MLB, 16th in AL
2012: 3.3 WAR, 32nd in MLB, 13th in AL

The 2008-2010 guy is pretty much an ace. The question is what happened in 2011 that he started so poorly (he is a slow starter every year, but April of 11 was particularly bad) but was able to be at 2008-2010 levels from May through August. September was whatever. 2012 I just don't know what to make of. On a quick perusal he and Doubront are the only guys I could find in the top 100 for SP WAR who had an actual ERA a full run higher than xFIP. That's why he looks so much better by fWAR than other metrics. Regardless, even the 2011-2012 guy is a number two starter on most teams.

The question, as always, is which you will get in the future. He's 29 in 2013, not 35. If the Royals think they can get him going well again, I certainly think they would do that trade. And I don't think it's such a slam dunk that the Red Sox would be stupid not to do it.

I do have trouble resolving the idea of a Lester-for-prospect trade with the idea of it being smart to sign Jonny Gomes. Part of me thinks that if they did do this, we might see an Andy Marte type thing where the Sox then flip the prospect for another major league player. Maybe he would be part of the bait for King Felix or something crazy like that.

[TheoShmeo]

Heyman on with Gresh & Zo right now and he says that he has not heard that this deal is on the front-burner. Hard for him to imagine Boston doing the deal because they're trying to contend next year. Calls it a longshot. But doesn't sound like he knows too much.

So if the Sox make this deal they've given up on 2013 says Jon? So silly. We're, at best, in the middle of a movie right now. When they start rolling the credits we can decide if the Sox intend to contend in 2013. I'm guessing that they will field a team that they think has a shot and at the same time not use all of their powder just to do so.

Edited by TheoShmeo, 27 November 2012 - 12:39 PM.

[Yaz4Ever]

So if the Sox make this deal they've given up on 2013 says Jon? So silly. We're, at best, in the middle of a movie right now. When they start rolling the credits we can decide if the Sox intend to contend in 2013. I'm guessing that they will field a team that they think has a shot and at the same time not use all of their powder just to do so.

Agreed. I would imagine that trading Lester for Myers would result in a subsequent move for pitching (Greinke, Haren, etc). I think this is the perfect time to move on with Lester rather than watching him possibly regress further. At this point he still has value. I'm not sure he'll have as much (let alone more) next offseason - especially being controlled for one fewer year.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

The question, as always, is which you will get in the future. He's 29 in 2013, not 35. If the Royals think they can get him going well again, I certainly think they would do that trade. And I don't think it's such a slam dunk that the Red Sox would be stupid not to do it.

I do have trouble resolving the idea of a Lester-for-prospect trade with the idea of it being smart to sign Jonny Gomes. Part of me thinks that if they did do this, we might see an Andy Marte type thing where the Sox then flip the prospect for another major league player. Maybe he would be part of the bait for King Felix or something crazy like that.

Any time you choose to keep a left handed starter as young and as good as Jon Lester, it's hard to call that a stupid move. I think the excitement here is a combination of the obvious need the team has in the outfield as well as the down seasons from Lester recently souring people on his long term ability to carry the staff. Add in the fact that the team is, at the very least, retooling in 2013, and it's easy to get on board with the idea of swapping Lester for Myers.

If the trade did happen, I'd probably be hesitant about immediately flipping him considering he'd immediately become our top prospect. I'd back off on my stance that they shouldn't trade Bradley in a deal for someone crazy like Hernandez at that point, but honestly, I'd want them to simply keep Myers and build around the new young core.

[snowmanny]

To answer the first part: No matter how great he is, he's still a prospect.

Exactly.

Wasn't Andy Marte BP's #1 prospect? And he was traded for Edgar Renteria and then Coco
Crisp and amounted to nothing.

[jsinger121]

Exactly.

Wasn't Andy Marte BP's #1 prospect? And he was traded for Edgar Renteria and then Coco
Crisp and amounted to nothing.

Red flags should have been raised when the Braves traded him because the Braves rarely trade the prospects they know will work out.

[Cellar-Door]

Bradford reported yesterday:

http://www.weei.com/...sed-lester-deal

Italics mine.

Well that would be a reason to make the deal for KC if they could do both.
Lester
Shields
Santana
Guthrie
Hochevar/Chen

That is a pretty good rotation in the AL Central and if they hang onto Butler, Perez, Moustakas, Gordon, Escobar and Cain a lineup that can contend with that staff.

[maufman]

Wil Myers is a terrific prospect -- he'll be 22 years old in 2013, and he has absolutely crushed the ball in 3 of his 4 pro seasons, despite consistently being young for the level. (The lone exception is 2011, where he posted a pedestrian 745 OPS in AA at age 20 while learning a new position.)

Prospects like Myers are seldom available in trade. If you can get him for Lester, you pull the trigger in a heartbeat.

More likely, however, the offer is Lester and JBJ (or Barnes) for Myers. In that case, you need to think long and hard about whether those 140 Ks Myers had last year are a red flag.

[dynomite]

Does Farrell factor into this and whether or not he's leaning on Ben to keep Lester? Farrell has always been in Lester's corner, going all the way back to the rumored Santana talks.

I'm also wondering about this. I thought a part of the point of bringing Farrell back was his relationship with Lester, Buchholz and others.

As I've posted before:

Jon Lester with Farrell: 108 GS, 54-23, 3.40 ERA, 134 ERA+, 8.6 K/9
Jon Lester since Farrell: 64 GS, 24-23, 4.17 ERA, 104 ERA+, 7.9 K/9

Now, again, maybe this point was stupid when I first made it and continues to be irrelevant now.

But didn't Farrell mention at the press conference that he had already been in touch with Lester because he'd noticed things with his delivery? And didn't Lester immediately tweet something jubilant upon the news of the hiring?

I have no problem with trading Lester in the right package, it would just surprise me given their (apparent) relationship.

[E5 Yaz]

Rob Bradford ‏@bradfo
To reiterate: Red Sox, Royals talks very real, albeit not close to completion. Rays might have more desirable package.


Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Jon Lester for an OF prospect? That is crazy talk


Nick Cafardo ‏@nickcafardo
The Red Sox would have to know they could sign and/or trade for 2 starting pitchers if they consider tempting deal for Wil Myers for Lester


Alex Speier ‏@alexspeier
Intriguing aside to Lester/Myers speculation: Are power hitters now more difficult to develop than starters?

[Cellar-Door]

Rob Bradford ‏@bradfo
To reiterate: Red Sox, Royals talks very real, albeit not close to completion. Rays might have more desirable package.


Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Jon Lester for an OF prospect? That is crazy talk


Nick Cafardo ‏@nickcafardo
The Red Sox would have to know they could sign and/or trade for 2 starting pitchers if they consider tempting deal for Wil Myers for Lester


Alex Speier ‏@alexspeier
Intriguing aside to Lester/Myers speculation: Are power hitters now more difficult to develop than starters?

One of these things is not like the others one of these things is not very informed.

[Quintanariffic]

Red flags should have been raised when the Braves traded him because the Braves rarely trade the prospects they know will work out.

Sincerely, Adam Wainwright, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison

Edited by Quintanariffic, 27 November 2012 - 02:06 PM.

[CoolPapaBellhorn]

Exactly.

Wasn't Andy Marte BP's #1 prospect? And he was traded for Edgar Renteria and then Coco
Crisp and amounted to nothing.

Red flags should have been raised when the Braves traded him because the Braves rarely trade the prospects they know will work out.

For what it's worth, Dayton Moore was still with the Braves in '06 when they traded Marte. Maybe he knows something about Myers? From what we know, I'd still do the deal, but it's something to think about.

[Savin Hillbilly]

One of these things is not like the others one of these things is not very informed.

Seriously... you know when you're making Cafardo look like the insightful, rational voice, you're really chin-deep in it.

[gammoseditor]

Wil Myers is a terrific prospect -- he'll be 22 years old in 2013, and he has absolutely crushed the ball in 3 of his 4 pro seasons, despite consistently being young for the level. (The lone exception is 2011, where he posted a pedestrian 745 OPS in AA at age 20 while learning a new position.)

Prospects like Myers are seldom available in trade. If you can get him for Lester, you pull the trigger in a heartbeat.

More likely, however, the offer is Lester and JBJ (or Barnes) for Myers. In that case, you need to think long and hard about whether those 140 Ks Myers had last year are a red flag.

The Royals are looking for to deal Myers because they want to win this year, and their main needs are SP. i don't see them going after one of our prospects. I think its more likely they'd want another major league pitcher.

[Corsi]

Edes:

No need for Jon Lester to contact a realtor in Kansas City.

“There’s nothing going on” between the Red Sox and Royals regarding a possible trade for the Red Sox left-hander, a team source said Tuesday, responding to a Kansas City Star report that the Royals and Sox had discussed a deal in which the Sox would have received top outfield prospect Wil Myers in return.

The source hinted that the topic may have been broached; after losing 93 games last season, the Red Sox are open to discussing a wide range of trade possibilities, and teams generally ask about most players in which they have even a modicum of interest.

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