Levine: Cubs Get Their Man In Jon Lester
By Bruce Levine-
SAN DIEGO (CBS) -- In the marquee free agent chase of the offseason, left-handed Jon Lester said no to his former team and yes to the Chicago Cubs and their loyal fan base.
The 30-year-old Lester accepted a six-year, $155-million deal with a vesting option on a seventh year late Tuesday evening. The final three teams vying for Lester were the Cubs, the Red Sox and the Giants, who told no thanks earlier Tuesday evening. Lester spent his first 8 1/2 seasons in Boston before being traded to Oakland last July.
The Cubs said early in the fall they were going to compete for a championship in 2015. They hired Joe Maddon as their manager in late October and have been preparing to move forward quickly ever since. On Monday, they signed veteran pitcher Jason Hammel to a two-year, $20-million contract. On Tuesday afternoon, they traded for Arizona catcher Miguel Montero.
The relationship between Lester and Cubs front office bosses Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod goes back to 2002, when the latter trio was working in Boston. They grew together as baseball people after Lester was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school. They stood by their friend as Lester battled cancer in 2006. He returned to form and turned in some great postseason pitching, helping Boston win the World Series in 2007.
Winning together, helping a sick colleague and asking for his help again brought the hard working pitcher to the city of big shoulders on Tuesday.
"I am totally excited," Maddon said after the news of the deal broke. "This is something we worked really hard at. I give a lot of credit to Theo and Jed and our entire staff. This is a team effort that includes our owners, the Ricketts family. I think everyone in the organization is reveling in the moment."
Lester is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA during his career in Boston and Oakland. He has a 3-0 record in two World Series with a 0.43 ERA. He was 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA last season.
"Well, the thing about Jon is he is really good," Maddon said. "In tough games as the season got deeper, he would get better. He is a young man who has a lot of good innings left in him. I don t think he has pitched his best baseball yet -- I really don't."
An official announcement may take a few days. Lester must pass a physical, and a news conference in Chicago will be planned,