MLB

Jon Lester already talking about return to Red Sox

When the Red Sox traded Jon Lester to the Athletics at the trade deadline, it came with the understanding the left-hander might boomerang right back to Boston as a free agent.

The Athletics will not have the resources necessary to retain Lester’s services, and he continues to be fairly open about welcoming a return to Boston.

“My time there, the memories and all that stuff don’t get erased based on this whole ordeal,” Lester said this week in Kansas City, according to the Boston Herald. “I’m glad with where I’m at, and I understood where Ben [Cherington, the Red Sox GM] was at. At the end of the season, it’s not going to change my mind about going back there if they are aggressive and competitive and do the things they say they’re going to do. Boston is definitely a place I would go.”

The Red Sox acquired Oakland slugger Yoenis Cespedes in the deal for Lester, adding some needed power behind David Ortiz in the lineup.

Team sources told the Herald the Red Sox plan to pursue Lester “aggressively” after the season, despite the impasse in contract negotiations that led to the southpaw being shipped out of town. The two sides never moved far past the team’s initial offer of four years and $70 million.

Lester, who is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA for Oakland, said money will not be the determining factor when it comes to choosing his new team.

“They told me, ‘We’re going to be aggressive. You’re going to get blown out of the water by some of these [other] offers,’ ” he said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t need to be blown out of the water.’ Why would I need to be blown out of the water? That doesn’t make or break your decision, at least for me. I’m not going to the highest bidder. I’m going to the place that makes me and my family happy. If that’s Boston, it’s Boston.

“In the greater scheme of things, we’re talking about just a stupid amount of money. For me, I want to be comfortable. The way I look at it is, if someone gives you $170 million and someone gives you $150 million, is that $20 million really going to change your lifestyle? Same thing if the highest bidder is $100 million and the team you’re going to feel most comfortable with offers $80 million. Is that $20 million really going to make the difference in your lifestyle?”