The Boston Red Sox are still reportedly aggressively shopping Jon Lester and a trade before Thursday's deadline is still highly likely, multiple reports confirmed.
According to MLB Daily Dish insider Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox are in talks with the Baltimore Orioles with sources indicating that a deal could be reached soon.
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said that they are open to adding another starter before the deadline. Duquette refused to confirm the Lester trade talks, but he said that they are currently discussing potential deals with other teams.
"We have a couple of active discussions," Duquette said via MLB.com. "We have some discussions that are no longer active from yesterday, so we've been able to see where we can make a trade and help our ballclub. Some of the long-term prospects for our pitching, we think are very valuable for the long-term sustainability of the organization."
MLB insider Brittany Ghiroli also reported that the Red Sox have sent a scout to the Orioles' Class A affiliate Delmarva, but sources also revealed that Baltimore could shift their attention to Chicago Cubs' Emilio Bonifacio if a deal involving Lester won't be finalized soon.
"While Boston and Baltimore continue to engage in talks -- the Red Sox recently scouted O's Class A affiliate Delmarva -- the Orioles also remain interested in acquiring the Cubs' Emilio Bonifacio, who would help fill their need for a left-handed-hitting bat. A switch-hitter, Bonifacio hits lefties extremely well," Ghiroli wrote.
Aside from the Orioles, the St. Louis Cardinals are still in the race to acquire Lester despite adding Justin Masterson in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.
John Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Cardinals are still making a strong push to acquire Lester, but no deal will be finalized unless St. Louis decide to include Shelby Miller in the trade package.
"Cardinals still could acquire Jon Lester, but that may require giving up Shelby Miller, who is currently in the rotation," Morosi wrote.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were also previously considered as one of the frontrunners in the race to acquire Lester, but talks reportedly went down after the Dodgers insisted that they are not interested in trading outfield prospect Joc Pederson in the deal.
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