Prior to signing Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, the Boston Red Sox had $100 million in payroll committed to the 2015 season. That number is expected to balloon once those two contracts are finalized, which raises the question: Can the Red Sox still sign Jon Lester?
To shut out those who argue for the sake of arguing, the answer is yes. The Red Sox can do whatever they want. However, the bidding for Lester is expected to increase beyond Boston's initial six-year offer for $110-$120 million. The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves are among other clubs who have met with Lester, with the Cubs having much financial flexibility and the Braves working on shedding big salaries via trades. There are two other teams lurking in the shadows.
The San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees both have the money to upend the Red Sox in the Lester sweepstakes and it would be a great move for both of them. The Giants lost Sandoval to the Red Sox and are expected to use the $100 million they were planning to spend on him elsewhere. Over the weekend a report surfaced that said the Giants were expected to put a bid in for Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas if they were to lose Sandoval, but the team was said to have been interested in him prior to Sandoval's departure because they're in need of a power-hitting outfielder.
But Buster Olney reported on Monday that the Giants' Plan B may include Lester. They certainly now have the money to spend on him, especially with only four starters in the rotation. San Francisco has $127 million committed to the 2015 payroll, but it drops to $87 million in 2016 when Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson and others come off the books. Adding Lester would give them two of the best left-handers in the game and if they manage to add another solid bat on offense they'll remain one of the top teams without question. They also need to make sure they keep up with the Dodgers, who added Andrew Friedman to their front office in hopes of revamping their philosophy to build their team from within.
On the East Coast, the New York Yankees need to do something. Their farm system isn't going to help them in the near future, so their spending philosophy must take precedent if they want to stand a chance. With the health of C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda in question moving forward, New York needs to get themselves a reliable ace. Tanaka was going to be that guy, but his elbow issues are no guarantee he'll be effective in 2015. Although it's been reported the Yankees aren't going to be spending this offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes:
"The known suitors - the Red Sox, Cubs and Braves - all have met with Lester. The Cardinals, Royals and Blue Jays reportedly are in the mix. And while the Yankees deny interest, the entire sport is bracing for them to snap to attention, as they always do."
Remember when general manager Brian Cashman said the team wouldn't be spending last year? Then they went out and signed Tanaka ($155 million), Jacoby Ellsbury ($153 million), Brian McCann ($85 million) and Carlos Beltran ($45 million). So we reserve the right to say anything is possible with New York, especially if it involves competition with Boston.
On top of that, ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes makes a good point when he says, "...making commitments of around $300 million to just three players would seem to put the Sox right back where they were in 2012, when they traded Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers." This is especially something to think about since Ramirez has had recent injury concerns and defensive issues; Sandoval is known to arrive at spring training out of shape (as he did numerous times with the Giants) and; Lester is turning 31 years old, which means they would have handed out another six-figure contract to a player in his thirties.
The Red Sox must do some thinking because an investment in Lester by himself is one thing, but when you throw in Ramirez and Sandoval to total nearly $300 million it's a completely different ball game.
