The Boston Red Sox have given serious consideration to tradng Jon Lester before Thursday's trade deadline.

"The Red Sox have contacted every contender that's looking for a starter and let all of them know Lester could be available for a two- or three-player package fronted by at least one upper-echelon prospect," writes Jayson Stark.

The asking price for Lester may be high, but it isn't believed to be at the level of what the Tampa Bay Rays want for David Price.

"In the end, it has to be less," one rival executive said, "just because he's a free agent, and the other guy [Price] is not."