Jon Lester and the Dodgers: 10 things you need to know.

Jon Lester

Jon Lester went 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA in 32 starts last season for the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s. (Getty Images)

Jon Lester is arguably the best left-handed pitcher on the free agent market. Wednesday, it was revealed that the Dodgers might enter an escalating bidding war for his services (according to reports here, here, here, here and here).

Here’s what you need to know as of Thursday morning:

1. It is unknown if the Dodgers have made a formal offer to Lester, or if Lester has a time frame in mind to accept an offer. But his decision will affect other teams’ pitching pursuits in free agency, and the Winter Meetings — often a prime time for decision making — begin Monday.

2. WEEI.com in Boston, which first reported the Dodgers’ interest, believes that Zack Greinke‘s six-year, $147 million contract offers a useful *starting* point for the Lester negotiations:

 … given the career similarities of the two at the time of their free agency. Greinke secured his deal after the 2012 season, when, in 1,492 innings, he had a 91-78 record, 3.77 ERA, 114 ERA+, 8.0 strikeouts per nine and 2.3 walks per nine. Lester has logged 1,596 innings with a 116-67 record, 3.58 ERA, 121 ERA+, 8.2 strikeouts per nine and 3.1 walks per nine.)

3. Greinke can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after next season. I could use this space to speculate whether or not Greinke will opt out, but it’s not the time. Here’s how it might play out: Reporters will ask Greinke about his plans when he reports to spring training. Greinke will not have decided by then. He’ll get asked a few more times during the season, but he will not have decided by then either. The Dodgers — that is, Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi — would love to know now so they can shape their post-2015 roster. But none of us are getting an answer right now, and Friedman and Zaidi must hedge against the possibility of Greinke leaving. Lester, who is 78 days younger than Greinke, would ensure the starting rotation has two aces beyond next season.

4. Lester’s agent, Seth Levinson, has a good working relationship with Andrew Friedman. Five of his clients were under contract to the Rays last season.

5. To this point, Lester has met with four teams (Red Sox, Cubs, Braves and Giants) and all but one meeting has reportedly taken place near his suburban Atlanta home.

6. The Dodgers have also reportedly expressed interest in Max Scherzer, arguably the best right-handed pitcher on the market.

7. Under baseball’s “competitive balance tax” rules, the Dodgers must pay an additional 30 percent on every dollar they spend above $189 million on player payroll in 2014. In 2015, they must pay an additional 40 percent on every dollar spent above $189 million. Unless they drop below $189 million in payroll before then, the tax rises to 50 percent on the dollar in 2016. (The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, 2016.) There has been no indication that the $189 million figure is of any significance to the Dodgers’ plans for the next two seasons.

8. There have been indications that Friedman and Zaidi are looking to lower the club’s payroll somewhat for next season. That could be achieved by trading two outfielders from the group of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford — even if the Dodgers agree to pay part of their remaining contracts.

9. Lester was traded during the 2014 season, which made him ineligible to receive a qualifying offer. That was not the case for Scherzer, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Detroit Tigers. Players who reject a qualifying offer and sign with a different team will cost the signing team their first-round draft choice (unless that pick is a protected pick, typically in the top 10), so the Dodgers would lose the 25th overall pick if they signed Scherzer. That inherently makes Lester a more appealing target.

10. It has been suggested elsewhere that the Dodgers are dropping their name into the hat for the purpose of driving up the Giants’ offer to Lester. It’s the oldest trick in the book, and therefore one you shouldn’t dismiss.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.