Olney on M&M: Sox will 'extend' to deal

ESPN baseball reporter Buster Olney joined Mut & Merloni on Wednesday afternoon for his weekly appearance, saying the Red Sox might consider trading Jon Lester for better pitching at the deadline.

Olney said the Red Sox may either give up a starting pitcher for a better one or just add another arm to the rotation.

"I do think starting pitching is going to be their focus because we can't assume the guys [they] have are necessarily going to go at that level," Olney said. "And I do wonder, after watching Lester pitch last night, as they go through this process -- this is just me speculating, I don't have anyone telling me they're out there shopping Lester, but I have to believe they're at least out there having the conversations of, 'Look, as we talk to other teams about deals, do we both buy and sell?' In other words, if [the Red Sox] have someone who's ready to give us really good value for Lester, like the Royals, is that something we consider while going and adding a starting pitcher?"

Olney said Lester still has the profile to command a trade, if the Red Sox can find the right deal.

"I think it's not to the point where people are saying, 'Oh, he's done, he's not good enough.' ... The fact that he's left-handed, 28 years old, he's got a body people are going to believe in in terms of he's going to be able to maintain his stuff. ... I'm sure the Red Sox wouldn't entertain that unless they really felt they could replace him in the rotation."

Olney said the Red Sox will pursue a trade because of the team's state of affairs this season as well as the high payroll.

"It has to be the right deal," Olney said. "I don't think you're going see them swapping their three best prospects for a rental, but if they have an opportunity to go out and add a starting pitcher who can help them this year or maybe in the future. Or maybe it's a nicely placed rental, then I think that would be something they'd be interested in.

"But I don't think there's any question because of all they have at stake, because of the last-season lapse, because of all the talk around the team and the fact they they look like they have a great opportunity to make the playoffs, I do think you'll see them extend themselves in a way that you're not going to see from the Blue Jays, the Rays and the Orioles."

Olney said to watch for the Red Sox making a run at Cubs pitcher Matt Garza.

"If you're asking the question who would the Red Sox be the best fit for, that would be a place to watch," Olney said. "In terms of is there going to be a guy out there that the Red Sox can conceivably, especially if they found some sort of Lester deal, if they liked it they wanted to pursue because of Garza's history in the American League."

Contrary to the Red Sox, Olney said he expects the Yankees to stay still at the trade deadline unless some cheap deals materialize.

"If suddenly the prices on someone like Shane Victorino drop precipitously then I think you'd see the Yankees jump in," Olney said.

Olney said he expects most teams to stand pat as well.

"Relative to past years I think it will be slower," Olney said. "I think a lot of the teams are in a position to vie for the wild card. There's been sort of more of a thought now. The addition of the wild card team and the diminishment of the value of making [a] wild card has actually backed some teams off. They're saying, 'You know what, if all we're guaranteed is a one-game elimination maybe we're not going to go crazy to go on an edge.' But I do think there will be some players moved because there are already a lot of teams who have bet heavily on this year and I think they'll follow up on that."

To listen to the interview, check the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For more Red Sox news, visit the team page at weei.com/redsox.