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| Lester will be pitching in Cubs colors next season. Photo Credit: Steven Bisig |
The Cubs have won the Jon Lester sweepstakes, nabbing the free agent target they had sought.
By: Michael Hanley
As reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, The Cubs have agreed to a six year, $155 million contract with the prized left handed ace. The deal does include a vesting option for a seventh year plus an additional $15 million Lester could earn and add to his haul from this deal.
This was a bit of a long and dragged out path to this endpoint. Lester was the clear cut best free agent out on the open market at any position coming into this off season. The amount of teams that were interested in him & wanted to offer him a deal to come to their team grew rapidly.
Their were reports of five teams that jumped in and wanted to hold serious conversations with Lester and what it would take for him to sign with their team. Those five teams were the Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and the winners from all of this in the Cubs.
Credit must be given to Lester here, he listened to all of the teams and what they envisioned him doing for their franchise but once he wanted to narrow down the choices from five to two, he did so in relatively quick order as to not hold up the teams that did not have a legitimate chance to land him and could be free to move on with their off season plans and continue to go after other free agents they had on their list.
He cut the list down to the Cubs and Red Sox, two clubs he had connections to in some form or fashion.With the Cubs, he learned and developed under the watch of Theo Epstein who now runs the club in Chicago. Lester spent the bulk of his early years with the Red Sox, coming up through their farm system, developing into a top flight pitcher that was part of two World series teams there in Boston.
So he had to make a choice, either go back to the Red Sox, who offered him a six year, $135 million, and try and help the club get back to World series contending form and be a hometown hero once again.
The other option: go to Chicago, re-team with his old GM Theo Epstein and help the Cubs be not only a playoff contender but also a championship caliber team not this year but in the years to come as the Cubs continue to bring up all that young, high ceiling talent up to the big club.Lester chose the Cubs and their $155 million they offered him to beginning a new part of his career.
The left hander will be the ace of this Cubs staff and is the perfect front line starter to top the other player sin this rotation of : Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Jason Hammel and a number of number five starters who they can chose from and slot into that position.
Lester was able to cash in on what was another very solid and productive season last year when he went 16-11, pitched to a 2.46 ERA, including 220 strikeouts in 219 2/3 innings pitched with the Red Sox and Athletics. Numbers that are terrific considering he was pitching the American League where the lineups can be quite a task to get through for a starting pitcher.
He also added to his great run of seasons winning at least 15 games a year which now he has done in six of the past seven seasons. Lester also has now pitched at least 190 innings every season for the last seven an accomplishment that stands out even more in this era where pitchers are restricted and overly protected when it comes to innings limits, shutting them down during a period of time in season etc.
The all star is an iron man who gives a team length during his starts, not just hoping to get to five or six innings and call it a day. He is one who can work into the seventh, eighth or ninth innings if he is really on his game, which he is during most starts during the season.
Lester will prove to be a great addition for the Cubs as they continue to rebuild and put themselves in position to contend and do so for many seasons to come.
Follow me on Twitter: @Magic20099
