In Red Sox rumors today, the Boston Red Sox seem to be going to great lengths to keep starting pitcher Jon Lester from hitting the free agent market at season's end -- just not to the lengths that may be needed to actually keep him with the team.
So says Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal: "The Red Sox's most recent offer to Lester was far below market value -- four years for between $70 million and $80 million, according to sources within the team's clubhouse."
"This is looking more and more like left-hander Jon Lester's last season with the Boston Red Sox," Rosenthal added.
The Red Sox will have an exclusive window of negotiation with Lester between the end of the 2014 MLB season and the beginning of free agency -- however, Rosenthal and many other MLB analysts believe that the Red Sox' latest (and potentially lackluster) attempts to retain Lester may end up pushing him out the door this winter.
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