The Cubs just got scary
The Winter Meeting sweepstakes for Jon Lester have finally been won and the Chicago Cubs are the ones holding up the W. After plenty of speculation about him going to the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants (the Los Angeles Dodgers were trying to make a final push as well), JL has agreed on a 6-year, $155 million dollar deal with the Cubbies.
Lester now rejoins Theo Epstein, who was making a big push to land the top free agent on this year’s market, to reunite since their Red Sox days. A big piece of the Cubs rebuilding process has now been placed and with a young core and new manager (Joe Madden), Chicago might make a run at the playoffs real soon.
Lester joins returning pitcher Jason Hammels and young pitchers like Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks, for a rotation that can carry them to the post season. Arm that with young infielders like Javier Baez, Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and young prospect Jorge Soler (batting the lights out to end the year last year), plus newly acquired catcher Miguel Montero, it seems like Chicago is going to be dangerous in a year or two.
The winter meetings will continue, with the dominoes falling fast now that Lester has been taken off the table.
The San Francisco Giants were willing to go seven years, somewhere in the neighborhood of $168 million for Jon Lester. He took less money.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 10, 2014
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