Lester signing question.

[Gregg]

Does it do any good for Lester to wait until the Winter meetings start before signing.

I read on Rotoworld that he could sign by the end of the week. If it is about the money, I would think he would want to wait for meeting.

Also does anyone in here think the $138M the Cubs offer will hold up? Do the Cubs sign him but at a higher price?

[Sour Masher]

I am not sure Lester is the sort to wait because he think he may be able to squeeze out a bit more. In fact, think there is a small but real chance that Lester doesn't even take the highest offer. If reports are true than the Red Sox have offered $130 million, it would not shock me if he took that. He seems like the sort who won't let a few million stand in the way of him going with the team he wants to play with over the rest of his career.

[Davros]

Lester and his agent have been very pro-active in team assessment, so there just isn't really much left to wait on. There is no sign that Boras is going to finalize Scherzer's situation before January and Shields seems to be a fall back plan for many teams. No other pitcher on the free agent market is going to affect contract offer prices much IMHO, but guys like Zimmerman and Hamels could reduce his number of offers if either was traded soon. Lester is almost at a point where he can just let the finalist teams fight against each other, then take the offer that he actually wants. I can't see that taking longer than a week (which is in the middle of the Winter Meetings).

[Gregg]

Lester and his agent have been very pro-active in team assessment, so there just isn't really much left to wait on. There is no sign that Boras is going to finalize Scherzer's situation before January and Shields seems to be a fall back plan for many teams. No other pitcher on the free agent market is going to affect contract offer prices much IMHO, but guys like Zimmerman and Hamels could reduce his number of offers if either was traded soon. Lester is almost at a point where he can just let the finalist teams fight against each other, then take the offer that he actually wants. I can't see that taking longer than a week (which is in the middle of the Winter Meetings).

If Lester is leaning towards the Sox, and the offer is $130M, would a Cubs offer of even $150M make him change his mind?

I don't know what makes Lester tick. Wouldn't there be some attraction that maybe he would be a main cog in the wheel that brings a WS to the Cubs? Eh, maybe not.