The Toronto Blue Jays must be growing tired of their playoff drought.
The Blue Jays, who reportedly agreed to a five-year, $82 million contract with catcher Russell Martin on Monday, continue to show legitimate interest in free-agent pitcher Jon Lester, multiple major league sources told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford.
The Jays reportedly are one of six teams showing legitimate interest in Lester. The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs — both of whom are expected to meet with Lester this week — also are pursuing the left-hander, according to Bradford.
There’s some overlap involved in the Martin and Lester storylines, as the Cubs were viewed by many as the front-runners for Martin before he reportedly agreed to a deal with the Blue Jays. One can’t help but wonder if Chicago will more aggressively pursue Lester now that it lost out in the Martin sweepstakes.
Lester, who turns 31 in January, is coming off his best season to date. The three-time All-Star went 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA in 32 starts split between the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics in 2014.
Lester was drafted by Boston in the second round in 2002. The southpaw spent his first eight-plus seasons with the Red Sox before being traded to the A’s at this year’s Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline.
The Blue Jays haven’t advanced to the postseason since winning the World Series in 1993.
Photo via Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports Images
