Is free agent Lester in town for talks with Cubs?

The Cubs on Tuesday were neither confirming nor denying reports they spent part of the day meeting with free-agent pitcher Jon Lester.

The baseball off-season has begun to heat up in the period after last week's general managers meetings and the early-December winter meetings. Already, the Cubs have lost out to the Toronto Blue Jays on free-agent catcher Russell Martin.

Lester, a lefty who turns 31 in January, is a target of the Cubs, who are looking to bolster their starting rotation. However, they face increasingly stiff competition for Lester, who is said to be a target of the Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals in addition to the Cubs.

This past season, Lester went 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA between the Red Sox and Athletics. Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer and President Theo Epstein have history with Lester from their days together in Boston.

Reports say Lester will meet with the Braves on Thursday and that the Cubs' NL Central rivals, the Cardinals, have jumped into the fray.

If the Cubs come out of the gate 0-for-2 on free-agent targets with Martin and Lester, don't expect Epstein and Hoyer to panic. Right after the off-season ended, Epstein said multiple times that the Cubs are looking at a 15-month period, beginning now, for acquiring players to help turn the Cubs into contenders.

Hoyer has not responded to messages since Sunday, when the Cubs acquired infielder Tommy La Stella in a trade with the Braves.