According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Red Sox will shop Julian Tavarez once Jon Lester is ready to return. The Rockies have maintained interest since at least last summer. Tavarez, 34, tossed 120 innings for the Rox in 2000. He makes $3.1MM this season and has a club option for $3.85MM in ’08. That option becomes guaranteed if he makes 60 more appearances this year.
Lester will need to show that his forearm cramp is a non-issue before the Red Sox can move forward. Lester won’t throw until Monday at the earliest. A few days ago, Nick Cafardo named a slew of teams that could pursue Tavarez aside from the Rockies: the Mets, Cardinals, Phillies, Marlins, and Reds.
