San Francisco Giants & Jon Lester: Can you say four rings in six years?

Jon Lester and Madison Bumgarner in the same starting rotation, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, would form an intimidating one-two punch indeed, should Brian Sabean decide to take the money originally allocated for Pablo Sandoval, and redirect it towards the thirty-year-old former Boston Red Sawk-turned-Athletic/free agent.

What acquiring Lester would do for the Giants, is perpetuate the Orange and Black’s reputation for stellar, lights-out pitching.

If good pitching beats good hitting, how might stellar pitching fare?

Coupled with a bullpen that specializes in postseason dominance, the move would give

a clear indication, that regardless of how the third base corner slot is manned, San Francisco is prepared to hurdle significant obstacles-albeit, not as big as the Panda-to compete in the National League in 2015.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers currently setting the standard for starting rotations, the Giants need to recognize that finishing in second place, no matter how successfully it worked out in 2014, is definitively bad business practice. In a one-game format, any given player, on any team, USA, can rise up a la Brandon Crawford, and do something that has never been done before, and then the Giants would all scatter to return home, and do what has indubitably been done quite often in the past: watch the playoffs on TV.

Oct 2, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford watches from behind the batting cage during baseball workouts at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals will play the San Francisco Giants Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Sabean operates with a method to his madness: If he is going to spend big bucks, he is going to make sure he is acquiring an impactful player. Do the following achievements measure up to Sabean’s expectations? Keep in mind that Lester has spent all of his career, except the latter half of 2014, pitching half his games at Fenway Park.

* In the 2007 World Series, Lester started and pitched five-and-two-thirds innings of shut-out ball, getting the win in the series-clinching victory against the Colorado Rockies.

* He pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals in May of 2008.

* Lester pitched fourteen innings in the 2008 American League Division Series, without surrendering a run.

• In May of 2010, Lester won the AL Pitcher of the Month Award for May, by going 5-0, with a 1.84 ERA, in six starts, with 45 strike outs, the third time he had won the award.

* He had his best season in 2014, compiling a 16-11 record, with a 2.46 ERA and a WHIP of 1.102.

Lester has already turned down a contract extension offer for four years and seventy million dollars from Boston, and was reportedly offered six years at 130 million dollars from the Chicago Cubs.

Brian Sabean should consider a potential postseason, with MadBum, Matt Cain and Lester leading the Giants. It would make fans forget about Pablo Sandoval real quick-like. 

Can you say, “Four rings in six years?”

I know you can.

Try it.