Jon Lester trade rumors: Pirates, Brewers, Orioles, Dodgers pursuing Red Sox ace

With less than 48 hours to go before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Red Sox are actively listening to offers on Jon Lester and the chances of a move seem more likely than ever. According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the four most likely teams to acquire Lester at this point are the Pirates, Brewers, Orioles and Dodgers.

The Red Sox are preparing to move Lester, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, who notes that the Red Sox have Brandon Workman slated to pitch at Triple-A Pawtucket tomorrow night and could call him up to start in Lester's place if the latter is traded. The Mariners, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Athletics and Braves have also been linked to the left-hander in reports, but it is currently unclear if there is a favorite in the race.

The Pirates are a team to watch on Lester, according to Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, who say that the two sides could come to a deal centered around top prospect Josh Bell. The Orioles are reportedly unwilling to part with any of their young pitchers in a deal making it hard to make a deal with their AL East rival-Red Sox, and the same problem applies for the Blue Jays, who would probably have to part with Daniel Norris and/or Aaron Sanchez in a deal.

With the Red Sox so actively trying to deal Lester, it appears that a trade is now more likely than not. A team looking to add the southpaw will probably have to part with three or four top prospects in any deal.