Pedro: Sox need a veteran ace..named Jon Lester
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Contributing Writer
Add Pedro Martinez to the "Jon Lester-should-come-back" club. Before he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame yesterday, he said that he was "not happy" that Lester isn't here. He also went on record as saying he hopes Lester comes back in free agency. He's certainly not alone in saying he hopes Lester comes back - I think most of Red Sox Nation would support that statement.
Part of his reasoning (aside from the talent) is his veteran leadership, which is important to help all the young guns in their development, per MLB.com:
"Openly, I'm going to say I'm not happy that Lester is not here anymore and I'd like him to come back. We had that talk in the outfield and during bullpen sessions and during games," Martinez said. "I hate to see that Lester is gone, because he's a workhorse, he's a good example in the clubhouse, he's a role model in society. He's a good role model and family member. He's everything you need for a young group of guys that are developing. I think Lester is one of the guys we have to really hope he comes back. He's probably the right guy to have in front of all those young kids we have."
It's hard to argue with that - aside from Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox rotation is very young and still very inexperienced and Buchholz still hasn't worked through his injury from last year, it seems, so having Lester back would make a lot of sense as he would be a big help for the young guys.
So, take heed Jon: From one Sox legend to another, please come back.
