|
With the Red Sox falling out of the race and the Blue Jays heating up, it appears Jon Lester could be at the centre of a deal between the two AL East rivals. James Carpenter Jersey . Appearing on TSN 1050 on Tuesday, Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet New England reported that the Blue Jays, along with a number of other playoff contenders were in the mix for the Boston ace. “The Blue Jays have been extremely aggressive over the last few days,” McAdam told TSN 1050. “This is not tire kicking, the Blue Jays are very much interested in Jon Lester.” The 30-year-old lefthander has been dominant this season posting a 10-7 record with a 2.52 ERA despite pitching for a Red Sox team that dropped to 10 games under .500 following a 14-1 loss to Toronto on Monday. Despite reports that the Blue Jays would not be willing to take on any money, and Lester due a total of $13 million before he hits free agency this winter, McAdam speculated the Jays could still be a player if the Red Sox would be willing to take back some money in a deal – similar to what they reportedly did in acquiring two prospects from the San Francisco Giants for Jake Peavy. Still, the unwillingness of Torontos ownership to spend could hurt them, with big money teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers thought to also be in the mix. “It would probably put the Jays at a disadvantage,” McAdam said. McAdam: Jays have serious interest in Lester Braylon Edwards Jersey Super Bowl . The Bobcats (2-2) trailed 35-23 early in the second quarter, but cut the lead to 42-40 at halftime. Charlotte outscored Cleveland 32-17 in the third quarter to go ahead 72-59 and pulled away. Russell Wilson Jersey Super Bowl . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Mauer looked tanned, a little thinner and relaxed as he talked about returning to the Minnesota Twins. His 57-game absence was hardly a vacation, however. The four-time all-star catcher calmly dismissed questions about his ability to play through discomfort, insisted he doesnt have some mysterious disease and characteristically tried to deflect focus back to the team. The face of the franchise with the US$184-million contract will always be scrutinized, though, and during the two months he missed, the spotlight only grew brighter as doubt about his future at the games most demanding position increased. "I dont see it being a problem in the years to come," Mauer said Thursday after the Twins announced theyll reinstate him from the 60-day disabled list to play Friday. He went out April 12 with a condition called bilateral leg weakness, fatigue exacerbated at the time by a severe flu-like virus. The weakness was caused by his body overcompensating for his left knee, on which he had arthroscopic surgery on last December. Mauer was beat up last year, when his production dropped off. He tried to rehabilitate and rest in the off-season, but that didnt work so he had the operation later than desired for full recovery. "Rehab is always preferred to doing surgery if you can do it," general manager Bill Smith said. Mauer took spring training slowly and was assumed to be ready for the regular season, but he never felt right once April came. "Before I actually went on the DL, I was like, Am I helping or hurting the team right now? And that was something that I really struggled with," Mauer said. "It got to the point where I just couldnt even get out on the field, and you have to kind of step back and look at what youre doing." He added: "As much as Id like to snap my fingers and wish it would go away, it just needed to take the time." Mauer was batting .235 with one extra-base hit when he went out. "It was pretty evident to everybody that Joe wasnt the Joe Mauer weve come to expect over the last few years, and we made the decision to shut him down and basically restart the training and conditioning program," general manager Bill Smith said. Left-handed reliever Glen Perkins will also be reinstated Friday from the 15-day disabled list. Outfielder Brian Dinkelman was sent to triple-A Rochester and removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Mauer. Left-hander Chuck James was sent to triple-A Rochester to make room for Perkins. "This is the first piece of getting our ballclub back together," said Smmith, who took shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka off the disabled list Wednesday. Max Unger Jersey. Still missing are first baseman Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., right-fielder Jason Kubel, designated hitter Jim Thome, centre-fielder Denard Span and relief pitcher Joe Nathan. After an awful start that stuck them with the worst record in the majors, the Twins have won 11 of their last 13 games. Mauer and the Twins were concerned enough about media attention they held a news conference Thursday and declared him off limits Friday to reporters. "I dont want to be a distraction to my teammates, to this team. We just kind of got on a roll here," Mauer said. Mauer said hes certain hes able to catch consecutive games and keep putting his six-foot-five frame in that crouch for the rest of the season -- and beyond. Not once has he acknowledged hell have to switch positions, though given his age, size, contract, early-career injury problems and elite hitting ability it seems inevitable that move will come. "I dont think anybodys 100 per cent right now in major league baseball. Im feeling great. Im making a lot of progress," Mauer said. As for those rumours he was dealing with a condition more serious than leg weakness? "I dont have Lyme disease. I can say that," he said, adding: "Is my knee good to go now? Yeah. I still have to work at it. I have no disease or anything like that, so I think thats probably a good thing to clear that up a little bit." Mauer was able to play for his older brother, Jake, the manager at class A Fort Myers. The Florida heat helped his conditioning, but the level of pitching wont compare to what hell face starting Friday. "I saw Joe Nathan yesterday, and that was kind of an eye-opener," Mauer said, adding: "Timing wise and hitting wise, Im not where I need to be in midseason form, but more importantly its Can I catch back-to-back or be out on the field and stay on the field for the rest of the year?" Mauer has also worked through soreness in his throwing shoulder. To those who question his ability to play through pain, Mauer said: "I think theyre just misinformed. I think my reputation over the years has been the opposite of that." Twins fans have been restless. "I think most of them know how hard I work and how much I want to be out there. Nobody wants to be out there more than I do. I think a lot of that has come out of frustration," Mauer said. "I can tell you right now: Nobody has been more frustrated than me over the last month or last months." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
