The Atlanta Braves have emerged as the latest team to enter the Jon Lester sweepstakes as the team plans to meet with the free agent left-hander on Thursday.
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According to MLB.com, Braves president of baseball operations John Hart has changed his stance on saying the team didn't have the payroll to land top free agents on the market this year. Hart is instead meeting with one of the most highly coveted free agent pitchers on this year's market.
Lester is also drawing interest from the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays, and the Braves joining the fray could mean that demand for the lefty will increase even more.
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Atlanta has already had a busy start to the offseason, dealing outfielder Jason Hayward and pitcher Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for young pitcher Shelby Miller as a way to revamp their starting rotation.
There have been rumors that the Braves may deal outfielder Justin Upton, who is owed $14.5 million before hitting free agency next year as the team will continue to try and shed salary to make room for a big free agent catch, which Lester would be.
With their trade on Monday, the Braves dumped $11 million of salary and are currently on pace to have a payroll around $110 million next season, according to MLB.com. Multiple sources have reported that Lester is expected to make $20 million or more annually in his new deal with whichever team he signs with.
Helping the Braves case is the fact that Lester, 30, is a Georgia native and lives close to Turner Field, which could make the Braves an enticing team for him.
Lester went 16-11 between the Red Sox and Oakland Athletics in 2014 and ranked fourth in the American League with a 2.46 ERA and fifth with 220 strikeouts in 32 starts.
The Braves are coming off of a season in which the team finished with a 79-83 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in three campaigns. It was the first time that Atlanta finished with a sub-.500 record since 2008 (72-90).
Lester, a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, is 116-67 in his nine-year career with a 3.58 ERA, 1.276 WHIP and 1,457 strikeouts.
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