Lester Regressing After Fast Start

Sox lose 8-3 on a very subpar performance by Jon Lester. 7 walks in 4+ innings. Way to many free bases. 2 more long balls given up. Not what you expect from your supposed "ace" against a team that he has beaten with relative ease in the past. I did some digging. From 2008 through 2011 Jon Lester averaged an ERA of 3.34, 203 innings & 16 wins. In 2012 his ERA ballooned to 4.82 while pitching 205 innings & getting only 9 wins. This year his ERA is 4.12 in 89 innings with 6 wins. Lester is a free agent in 2014 & he is making $11 million a year. I think the Sox will need to really evaluate where Lester is going at age 29 - is he going up or going down? And while it's nice to have a big lefty that can give you 200 innings a year it's the quality of those innings that is starting to diminish. By 2014 Lester will be looking for big money. Should the Sox part ways with the big lefty & start bringing up some of the kids? It will be an interesting negotiation to watch, especially if Lester's numbers continue to tail off.