The Boston Red Sox are open to trading Jon Lester before the MLB trade deadline on July 31 and reports indicated that the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the most likely landing spot.
Jayson Stark of ESPN reported that the Mariners emerged as the most serious suitor of Lester and a deal could be reached in the next several hours after Seattle showed strong interest in the left hander and the Red Sox scouted Seattle's prospect in a Triple-A game.
"The Red Sox sent a top scout to watch Seattle's Triple-A team this week. So that tells us the Mariners are a team to watch in the next 48 hours," Stark wrote.
Stark wrote that the Mariners, who are looking to improve their chances of getting one of the Wildcard spots this season, are in need of another batter at this point, but the immense pressure from fans could force them to pull the trigger on a Lester trade, knowing that doing so could be a popular move.
"There are enormous pressures on this front office. And Lester did grow up near Seattle. So this would be such an incredibly popular deal, it would have the potential to energize a skeptical fan base. Not to mention that that local angle would at least give the Mariners the hope of keeping him," Stark wrote.
However, the LA Dodgers are the biggest to the Mariners at this point because the deep-pocketed squad is expected to go after Lester, who is 10-7 this season with a 2.52 ERA and 149 strikeouts.
The biggest concern, though, is the Red Sox's interest in Matt Kemp. Stark revealed that no trade will happen if the Red Sox will remain firm on their demand for a Kemp-Lester trade.
"They're in on everybody. And they'd clearly love to add a starting pitcher this dominating. But a Matt Kemp-for-Lester deal isn't going to happen," Stark wrote.
Aside from the Mariners and the Dodgers, Stark also named the St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates as possible trade partners for the Red Sox.
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