SAN DIEGO — All that's left now is the phone call. And, quite possibly, the second-guessing.
After nearly six weeks of wining, dining and even two visits from the Red Sox' billionaire owner, Jon Lester is set to choose a team, almost certainly at some point Tuesday. And although the Sox hadn't been informed late Monday night that they're out of the running, indications were that the ace left-hander is slipping away.
According to a Fox Sports report, the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs have emerged as finalists for Lester "barring a late change" in the negotiations. But a high-ranking Red Sox official told the Herald that the club hasn't been made aware of any such development.
"I haven't been told we're out, so I assume we're not out," said general manager Ben Cherington, who added he didn't have any additional meetings scheduled with agent Seth Levinson but was "sure" the sides would speak again before Lester's final decision. "I don't want to speculate on anything other than we've been involved and other teams have, too, and it seems as though he's probably getting closer to a decision. That's all we know."
In the meantime, the Sox were clinging to the hope that their sales pitch, delivered personally to Lester's Atlanta-area home by principal owner John Henry and anchored around an appeal to the pitcher to further a Boston legacy that includes a pair of World Series championships, would be enough to entice him.
But while Lester isn't fond of change and has said he would prioritize going to a team with which he feels comfortable over simply signing with the highest bidder, it's unclear whether the Sox' best offer is competitive with either the Cubs or Giants as the price tag reportedly creeps closer to $150 million.
Lester visited Chicago last month and has familiarity with team president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and vice president of player development Jason McLeod, all former Red Sox executives. The Giants have made Lester their top priority, with manager Bruce Bochy recently visiting Lester and GM Brian Sabean claiming not to be focused on any other free agents.
So where does that leave the Sox?
"We're still optimistic that he'll be in a Red Sox uniform," manager John Farrell said. "There's a lot of history between the Red Sox and Jon. There's going to be a number of things that any free agent looks at. I think our history with Jon is a strong factor in all that."
Based on their conversations with Lester, Cherington and Farrell brushed off the idea that the lefty was hurt by the botched spring-training contract negotiations or the July 31 trade that sent him to Oakland, although an industry source suggested otherwise late Monday night, claiming Lester is still annoyed by the events of last spring.
Cherington had little interest in rehashing those talks, when the Sox seemingly took advantage of Lester's desire to take less money to sign a contract extension by making an offer so low (four years, $70 million) that any counteroffer from Lester's camp would've required a request that seemed outrageously high in order to reach a reasonable midpoint.
"I think we wish we would have had a chance to talk more, whether it was in spring training or during the season," Cherington said. "But that’s behind us. We are now here, it's December, and it is what it is. We'll see what happens. Maybe there will be a time to talk more about this and to sort of look back on the history of what's happened. But I don’t feel like the time is right now."
Besides, Cherington has more pressing issues, like where to turn if Lester signs elsewhere.
The pitching market -- both in terms of trades and free agency -- has been paralyzed by Lester's deliberate decision-making. Cherington said the Sox have explored "15-20 starting pitching scenarios," most of which will continue to lack clarity until Lester picks a team.
If they get bad news from Lester, the Sox could pivot to fellow free agents James Shields or even Max Scherzer in their search for a top-of-the-rotation starter, although the latter is expected to fetch a contract that will be worth even more than Lester's.
On the trade front, they could cough up prospects to acquire Philadelphia Phillies ace lefty Cole Hamels, who also comes with at least $96 million in contractual commitments. Cherington said the Sox might be more intrigued by trading for a pitcher with a contract that expires after next season. One such pitcher, right-hander Jeff Samardzija, was dealt to the Chicago White Sox late Monday night. But for the right package of players/prospects, others might still be available, including perhaps Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto and Washington's Jordan Zimmermann.
"I think there's actually some value in a guy who's not signed long-term if they fit into the rotation," Cherington said, "because it allows you the chance to get to know them and see if it could be a fit."
But the pitching search wouldn't end there. The Sox need two starters, and losing Lester would force them to shop for an ace in addition to another middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
And so, the Sox waited by the phone, hoping to be reunited with Lester but bracing for the worst and poised to move on.
"I was confident at the beginning of the offseason and I'm even more confident now," Cherington said, "that we're going to be able to build a good pitching staff and have a good team going into next year."
Of course, it would be far easier with Lester than without him.
Twitter: @ScottLauber
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