Jon Lester's agent denied a published report that claimed the pitcher's representatives informed the Boston Red Sox what it would take to sign the ace left-hander, prompting the club's decision to trade him. "The discussions we had with the Red Sox were confidential and will remain that way," Seth Levinson, Lester's agent, wrote in an email Tuesday. "There is no truth to the report, and I am not going to guess why it was written or the basis for that report." The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that the Red Sox had been informed of what kind of contract the pitcher has been seeking, "and that led to the team putting its ace on the trade market." The story, citing a major league source, went on to say that Lester was seeking "a competitive offer consistent with the market" and speculated that would be in the range of $22 million to $24 million annually. Read more http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story...enies-report-contract-demands-led-trade-talks