Braves, Jon Lester to meet Thursday
The Braves have scheduled a meeting with free agent starting pitcher and former Red Sox ace Jon Lester Thursday in Atlanta, per reports.
Lester who makes his offseason home just 30 minutes outside Atlanta in Sharpsburg has long expressed an interest of pitching for Atlanta for some time, yet the timing was never right.
There has been mutual interest between Lester and the Braves for years dating back to a potential trade that ultimately never came to fruition involving former 10-time Gold Glove center fielder Andruw Jones and Lester in 2006.
Lester has also made it clear that family is very important to him in this process, leading many to believe the Braves just may have a shot at landing the second-best pitcher on the market after Max Scherzer.
#BringJonHome ... Too soon? Photo: Getty
But what will it take to land Lester? A LOT of creativity from John Hart and CEO Terry McGuirk.
Lester is coming off arguably his best season ever at age 31, setting himself up for a lucrative long-term deal. Lester put together a 16-11 season with a 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts in 219 2/3 innings, including a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts for Oakland after a July trade.
Those numbers set him up to command a long-term deal north of $20 million annually. And with teams such as the Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox and possibly Yankees getting involved, the price is likely to be closer to $25 million annually.
John Hart recently said the Braves won't go after top-tier starting pitching, and they did not want to handicap themselves having to give up draft picks as compensation.
But since Lester was traded mid-season, the A's will not receive draft pick compensation for Lester, which would end up being a first-round pick, something the Braves can't afford to give up as they look to grow their farm system .
However, there are a couple ways a deal with Lester remains a real possibility.
It would certainly take some creativity to fit Lester in a $112 million payroll that won't be lowered. Trading Heyward and Walden left the Braves with about $70 million committed in 2015 to Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, Chris Johnson, Andrelton Simmons, Teheran and Dan Uggla, who the Braves still owe $13 million...still shaking my head on Dan.
Most other players are arbitration-eligible such as Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen, Ramiro Pena, David Carpenter and James Russell.
It's likely the Braves decide on Beachy or Medlen, both of whom are returning from their second Tommy John surgery. It's my belief one will stay and one will not be tendered an offer.
The Braves have discussed a one-year deal with Medlen with and option for a second year. The offer would be a reduced rate from his $5.8 million salary he made last season, according to Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
That would leave about $30 million or so for the remaining roster spots, most of whom will be earning non-arbitration salaries between $500,000 and $650,000 per season.
The Braves could also look to trade even more of their assets: Justin Upton, Chris Johnson and obviously Justin's brother BJ Upton.
Shedding Justin Upton's $14.5 million salary in 2015 in the final year of his contract would immediately free up enough salary for the Braves to compete in the Lester sweepstakes.
And it's no question the Braves wouldn't mind shipping Chris Johnson's unnecessary contract ($23.5 million/3 years) given to him by former GM Frank Wren somewhere else.
A more realistic attempt would be to ask Lester to take a hometown discount for the first 2-plus years in a proposed deal and then backload his contract which coincides with the opening of SunTrust Park in 2017 and the expected payroll increase brought on by new revenue streams from the new ball park.
Could the Braves just be doing their due diligence with Lester? Sure. But John Hart isn't afraid to get creative and a deal with Lester would vault Atlanta's starting rotation into one of the best in the game.
But be wary Braves fans, Atlanta has never gotten into sweepstakes for high-priced free agents, so if Lester demands $25 million, don't be surprised if Hart and the Braves back out.
But for now, let's just imagine this starting rotation:
