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MLB hot stove: SF Giants linked to five-time All-Star lefty Lester

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MLB hot stove: SF Giants linked to five-time All-Star lefty Lester

As the Giants look for options to fill out their 2021 rotation, a familiar name has surfaced: Jon Lester.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Tuesday that the Giants are interested in the 36-year-old lefty who played half of the 2014 season across the San Francisco Bay for the Oakland A’s.

Lester may no longer be the All-Star caliber ace he used to be, but in the right situation, he could be a useful rotation piece. He’s coming off a 3-3 shortened season — his last of a six-year contract with the Cubs — with an ERA of 5.16. Lester’s fielding-adjusted pitching of 5.14 suggests he wasn’t just the victim of bad luck.

The five-time All-Star is just two seasons removed from a strong campaign in which he went 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA over more than 180 innings.

The Giants were tied to Lester during his free agency after his Oakland stint, but he ultimately chose Chicago, which just declined a $25 million option to keep him another year.

Lester is a three-time World Series champion (two with the Red Sox, one with the Cubs). He won the sweep-clinching Game 4 of the 2007 World Series less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma.

From San Francisco’s perspective, Lester may be a bigger name than the Giants are seeking as they aim to fill out their rotation, but taking a flier on him at a reasonable price would make sense to help bolster the rotation behind Kevin Gausman, who signed his qualifying offer earlier this month.

Johnny Cueto and young arms like Tyler Beede and Logan Webb are expected to see starts in 2021, but as the Giants build toward contention, a short-term commitment to an older player with a track record of success seems logical.

Lester also has ties to two important members of the Giants’ coaching staff: He played with manager Gabe Kapler and pitching coach Andrew Bailey during his time in Boston, as KNBR’s Mark W. Sanchez noted.

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