Morning Marquee: Jon Lester to meet with more teams

As the Hot Stove season heats up, with the Boston Red Sox now in pursuit of both Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, the scene on the North Side of Chicago is still quiet, apart from the team bringing in former catcher Henry Blanco as a member of the 2015 coaching staff. Here’s some of the other rumors swirling around the league.

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The Houston Astros have reached out to free agent closer David Robertson‘s representatives, but the two sides remain some distance apart, according to reports. The Oakland Athletics, just a week after signing Billy Butler, traded for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ike Davis, which could potentially lead to a trade in the future given the team’s intense depth at the position moving forward.

Miguel Montero could be a potential trade target of the Chicago Cubs moving forward, given Blanco’s new position with the organization, but talks have not reached a serious state as of yet. In other Cubs-related news, the odds of Dave Martinez joining Joe Maddon in Chicago appear slim at this point in time, although the Rays’ managerial situation is not yet resolved.

Here’s more from around the league:

“Red Sox attempting to sign both Sandoval and Ramirez” – BoSox Injection

“Hunter favors Twins amongst potential suitors” – TwinCities.com

“Ike Davis traded to Oakland for bonus slot money” – Call to the Pen

“Report: Jon Lester joining Cubs ‘looking doubtful'” – Cubbies Crib

“Big Unit, Smoltz, Pedro to headline Hall ballot” – MLB.com