ESPN.com senior writer Tim Kurkjian dropped this interesting nugget on Jon Lester's impending free agency in his look at the top 10 storylines of the second half of the baseball season:

A source close to Boston's star left-handed pitcher opened a very real possibility that Lester, a free agent after this season, will be playing elsewhere next season. And yet it seems hard to believe that the Red Sox, with all their money and resources, are going to part ways with their best pitcher by far -- a guy who has won two World Series, has been a postseason hero and has at times this season thrown the ball better than ever.

The Red Sox are going to have to come way up from their four-year, $70 million offer of a couple months ago to get him signed, but they don't have much choice given the way this season has gone, and given the rest of their rotation has no ace beyond Lester.

The Red Sox don't want to get where the Tigers are: rejected by Max Scherzer in March and likely having to compete with others to sign him.