John Lackey: Free Agent at the End of the Season

There's no doubt that John Lackey is the big name starting pitcher on this year's free agent market. Lackey is the only guy available, who can be legitimately counted on to lead a starting staff and be a No. 1 starter.

However, there's considerable risk with John Lackey. In each of the past two seasons, Lackey has missed significant time because of injuries. That fact has to be very concerning.

So I look at John Lackey's free agency like this: it will be a struggle between two sides. One side will see Lackey the ace, who is the only legit No. 1 starter on this year's market, while the other side will see risk and a bad contract waiting to happen.

How will this struggle play out on the free agent market? Let's take a look: