Report: Blue Jays showing aggressive interest in Jon Lester

According to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, the Toronto Blue Jays are among a handful of teams thought to be interested in Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester. And it sounds like it could be more than just kicking tires – McDade writes his source says the Blue Jays have been the most aggressive team when it comes to calling on Lester.

St. Louis, Seattle, Baltimore and the Los Angeles Dodgers are widely thought to be in on Lester, but industry sources say the Red Sox also have received interest from another handful of clubs, led by Milwaukee, Atlanta, Oakland and Toronto.Of those, a source indicated, Toronto has been the most aggressive in its interest.

Wow. This report comes as a huge shock especially since most reports have pegged the Blue Jays for having little-to-no money to spend at the non-waiver trade deadline this year. Lester is scheduled to earn $13 million this season according to Cot’s Contracts and has about $4.5 million remaining on his contract this year. He’s eligible to become a free agent after this season.

The Blue Jays have previously expressed interest in a rental but even two months of Lester’s service would likely come at a steep cost for the Blue Jays. The Red Sox are all but out of it for this year so likely aren’t as worried about shipping Lester off to a division rival with the likelihood he re-ups with the Blue Jays slim to nil.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, this rumour may very well not have legs. GM Alex Anthopoulos has said himself if we hear a rumour from a non-Canadian outlet about the Jays, it’s probably not true. The Red Sox are also said to be looking for a premium prospect in return for Lester so there’s also the question of how much AA would be willing to give up for a two-month rental.