Report: Jon Lester Extended for 5 years, $30 Million
by 0157H7 on Mar 8, 2009 2:36 PM EDT
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PrintJeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports that Jon Lester has been extended for 5 years at $30 million total, with a $13 million option for 2014. The source is reportedly someone close to the team (as opposed to an actual official or someone who'd go on record), so it's possible this is untrue. Sounds like a good deal to me, especially if last year was the turning point that it seemed. Locking up a tough lefty for cheap money is rarely a bad move. I hope the report is true.
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"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
Damn MFY and Rays fans.
Has anyone ever figured out a nickname for the Rays? Or do we have to go through parliamentary procedure to allow someone to suggest one?
I wanted "The Rats," but the Angels get that because of their stadium.
And they’re the GAY-ngels, too. I think BoSox415 was pushing for Tampa to take the “Gay” title though.
Excellent work Theo
Now for Papelbon…..
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
So I am the first to call it an overpay.
I love Jon Lester and am very happy for him to receive a lifetime of financial security, but I’m not sure this is the best deal for the Sox. They are basically paying up front for 5 years of Jon Lester in order to set the price for the fifth and option for the sixth year. My problem is that they did not have to do this. They could have gone year to year with him and avoided any risk at all, while paying only a few million more. When the time comes, in two or three years if he has proven that last year was no fluke, they would have the power to sign him long term. They have the ability to do that.
While I am confident that Lester will be good, my issue is that all pitchers have obvious injury risks and he is not excluded. Deals this long for pitchers are usually bad ideas. However, its only $30 mil; nothing for the Sox. Part of me thinks they are basically paying so they will never have to go through the awkward arbitration process.
good points
I totally get your argument. Its makes sense, its logical and well thought out. However I totally disagree with your position. I think its a good move by the club. Its shows goodwill on the part of the club and if Lester proves to be anything above solid then we will get a discount when the next contract comes. He’ll be 29, and if he’s healthy then the club will benefit from that. And as you pointed out above, its $30mil over 5 which is chump change to the club. I mean geez, they gave the carcass $5mil…
I agree about the goodwill.
We want to keep our guys happy and this goes a long way in doing that. The money might be worth it just for that. But if these guys were emotionless droids, I see no reason to give a deal like this to a pitcher.
agreed
I’m coming to believe that long-term contracts for the most part are foolish on the part of a team. The exceptions are usually with position players when they’re done for what boil down to PR moves, like with Morneau in Minnesota, Braun in Milwaukee and Longoria in Tampa Bay where the team is trying to show to a somewhat disappointed fanbase that they are ‘committed to winning’/‘our players love to play here’/‘we want to keep your favourites.’
Pitchers? Um, no.
I see this as slightly better than market rate.
Hamels just signed a three-year. Thus, they bought out his next three years of arbitration eligibility – and no FA years – for just under $7m per.
Ervin Santana signed a four-year deal for $30 million which will take him into his first year of FA. (Of course Sanatana just felt something bad in his elbow…)
Lester signed a five-year deal for $30 million, taking him into his first year of FA. This is less money and more control than the other two. If he continues his career trajectory – and I think there’s a decent chance that he will – we’d spend the same amount of money on him before he reaches FA.
And yes, it’s a risk, but it’s worth it. I’d rather spend relatively low money now than risk waiting two years and risk having to spend $80 million on a long-term deal that would take him into his mid-30s. As it is now, with the option, we have him relatively cheap until he’s 31.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
Forget Paps
He wants a big FA payday. Also, with his shoulder/arm problems, he isn’t a good long-term investment.
I’m curious to see what happens with Beckett.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 9, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm scared
of what Papelbon will command. He’s stated multiple times that he’s not one of those guys who is going to take a big discount. He wants to set the bar for FA closers. In the end, I think the Sox will offer him a good deal, but somebody else (the Yankees) will offer him more, and he’ll take it.
I like Pap, and I can’t say I blame him, but he’s not the class act that Lester is.
Why, is she a sox fan?
Either way, I think she’ll get over it when she can go shopping with all the new money he’ll be making.
Why is he not “a class act.” Because he won’t sign a below market deal in exchange for financial security? He is taking a big risk by going year to year. He is putting the risk on his won shoulders. He has decided that he will be paid what he earns. This is usually considered a good thing.
It's a comportment issue, I think.
Lester is perhaps the quietest guy on the team (not counting non-native English speakers). He just doesn’t talk a lot, while Paps, like Pedroia, is impossible to shut up.
Because Paps says some really dumb things at times, it’s usually counted as a knock against him. With Lester, though, all you get is a pitcher who does his job. It’s hard to find a line of attack since he doesn’t give you any ammunition.
(Also, I was realizing the other day that, apart from his basic biography—and the whole cancer thing—that we don’t really know all that much about Lester. I seriously couldn’t tell you much about him that isn’t baseball-related, except that he likes to go hunting and shooting with Beckett. I don’t think there’s anyone on the team who’s quite so private, even Wakefield, who’s known for not trying to be in the spotlight.)
Lester has a fiancee, also.
There’s a cool picture of them (Farrah Johnson and Jon Lester).
I think Lester is a pretty private guy. He didn’t say anything about the rumored deal, although apparently he values stability and security at this point in his career; see this article for details.
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
Well, if no one picks up the options
I’m sure she’d be a hit on the free agent market.
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
by 0157H7 on Mar 10, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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