Why aren't the Yankees pursuing Jon Lester?
He seems to be the physical embodiment of everything they want: proven in the AL East, a postseason star, and relatively young. Yet Brian Cashman insists the team look within when it comes to building their 2015 squad, one that's currently stuck with an injury-riddled, inexperienced rotation.
So, why is it they don't want to sign Lester? He'd help them out a lot, and here's a few reasons to prove it.
1. He'd Make the Rotation Respectable:
We all know Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda are reliable, but besides them, who else do the Yankees have? CC Sabathia's on the decline, David Phelps has never started for a full season, and Ivan Nova will be out until May. Maybe if Shane Greene was still with them, they could handle such issues, but since he's obviously not anymore, another hurler or two is clearly necessary. Brandon McCarthy is a good one, but just him is not enough. This club needs a true ace.
2. He's Left-Handed:
Don't underestimate the importance of lefties when it comes to contending in the American League. They force opponents to alter lineups and are much harder to find than right-handers. Since 2009, only Sabathia and Andy Pettitte have been regular starters for the Yankees - Chris Capuano and Vidal Nuno were fill-ins - and it's well known they've been pretty successful.
3. He Wouldn't Be on the Red Sox:
As blatant as this point is, it's definitely a notable one. Lester went 111-63 with a 3.64 ERA with the Red Sox from 2006-2014, and now it appears Boston's interested in bringing him back. Needless to say, the Yankees don't want that to happen, and probably wouldn't mind getting the 200 innings a year Lester usually records, either.
Bottom line: inking Lester would be somewhat risky and undeniably expensive for the Yankees, but nonetheless, they have to do so. It's not often they get a chance to take a valuable contributor from a rival like the one they have now, and they simply can't pass it up in exchange for prospect development.