The Boston Red Sox are determined to reunite with Jon Lester as reports indicated that the club has intensified their pursuit of the free-agent pitcher.
According to Rob Bradford and Alex Speier, MLB insiders from WEEI, Red Sox principal owner John Henry flew to Atlanta on Friday to personally present their recruiting pitch to Lester, who is one of the top free agents this season.
It was the second meeting between Henry and Lester since the free-agency period, but Henry was accompanied by other Red Sox officials during the first one.
Henry, whose team traded Lester to the Oakland Athletics before last season's trade deadline, reportedly tried to convince the 30-year-old pitcher to return to Boston to finish the legacy that he started in the city.
According to ESPN, Lester recognized Boston's effort to reunite with him after parting ways before the deadline. Sources indicated that Lester is willing to discuss a six-year deal with the Red Sox.
Lester's agent, Seth Levinson, also said that the left hander will pick a team based on where he is most comfortable with - not by going for the best offer in terms of salary, creating speculation that the Red Sox will win the race to acquire the coveted free agent.
Aside from the Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are also interested in acquiring Lester, who went 16-11 last season with a 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts.
According to Bruce Levin, an MLB analyst from CBS Chicago, the Cubs made the strongest possible bid. Cubs executive Ryan Dempster said that if the Cubs lose in the bidding war for Lester, it will not be because they fail to make their best possible recruiting pitch.
"The Cubs from owner Tom Ricketts all the way down to the clubhouse guys have bent over backwards to make Jon feel like Chicago is the place to be," Dempster said. "If he doesn't take their offer, it won't be like they had failed. A few teams will be disappointed at the end. He must decide what is right for him and his family in the future."
Lester, who turned down a four-year, $70 million offer from the Red Sox earlier this year, might make his much-awaited decision later this week.
