After what seemed like an eternity of widespread rumors and rampant speculation, free agent pitcher Jon Lester finally decided to take his talents to the 'South-side', agreeing on a six-year/ $155 MM dollar contract that will send him into the open arms of the Chicago Cubs.
It appears that Lester had an incredibly tough decision to make between what made sense in his mind and what his heart was truly telling him. That decision ultimately came down between the Chicago Cubs and his beloved Boston Red Sox. Lester played his whole career in Boston outside of a brief stint with the Oakland Athletics to close out last season. Lester, having been born in the city of Boston as well, had ties to the team and the city as deep as any of their die-hard fans, so even though the Red Sox offered him a six-year/ $135 MM dollar deal, it's evident that it took a lot for him to walk away from Boston.
With Lester now in the fold, the Chicago Cubs have a pretty talented starting rotation. Lester will undoubtedly be the ace of the staff which already includes Jake Arrieta, newly re-signed Jason Hammel, Kyle Kendricks and Travis Wood for the time being. Lester, Arrieta, Hammel and Hendricks, the four likely mainstays of the Cubs new rotation had a combined record of 43-29 with a 2.76 ERA over 99 starts in 2014.
Prior to winning the Lester sweepstakes, the Cubs had a busy first two days of the annual baseball Winter Meetings, re-signing Jason Hammel on day one and trading for Miguel Montero earlier on in day two to go with the Lester signing.
While I certainly believe that these three moves alone can thrust the Cubs back into the playoff picture as early as next year, I still believe Theo Epstein has a few more cards up his sleeve. After all, Lester's best years will be from 2015-17, so the Cubs would be wise to go for it all now that they have him at the head of their staff.
In my opinion the Cubs remaining needs are an outfielder with a power bat to pair with Arismendy Alcantara and Jorge Soler as well as some added insurance to their starting rotation. With the number of young players already established on the team, Theo Epstein might look to bring in some more veteran leadership to help fill these holes while aiding in the development of their young players.
Jonny Gomes could be a potential bat that can help the Cubs. He may not have overwhelming power, but he's good buddies with Jon Lester and more importantly he takes plenty of walks, which is something the Cubs desperately needed last year after ranking in the bottom third of the league in walks in 2014 while having one of the highest strikeout rates.
Another legitimate option could potentially be Michael Morse. Along with some pop, Morse can play multiple positions, including outfield, first base, and even short stop. This can be quite appealing for the Cubs as they can bring him in to mostly play the outfield, but also help give Anthony Rizzo some off-days at first base. Last season Morse notched 16 home runs and 32 doubles with a .279/.336/.475 slash-line.
As far as starting pitching, the two biggest names linked to the Cubs after Lester are James Shields and Cole Hamels. Interestingly enough, the bidding between Jon Lester came down to the Cubs and Red Sox, and so can the race for the additions Shields and Hamels.
Part of the reason why Lester chose the Cubs over the Red Sox was his belief in the youth talent in their system, in Joe Maddon and in the chance to make franchise history. His belief in Joe Maddon can be an even better selling pitch to James Shields, who previously played for Maddon on the Tampa Bay Rays a few years back.
As far as Cole Hamels, similar to the Red Sox, the Cubs also have the necessary pieces to land the highly coveted south paw, however the real question is will the Cubs actually give into the demands of the delirious Ruben Amaro Jr.? Should they elect not to, the Cubs can pursue a cheaper alternative such as Brandon McCarthy.
At the end of the day, the Lester deal is the fifth highest total for a pitcher, and his $25.88 MM per year is the second highest annual average behind only Clayton Kershaw's $30.7 MM per year. It took a lot of money and a lot of effort to pry Lester away from other suitors in free-agency, but the Cubs, with just about $65 MM in salary obligations before the Winter Meetings began, had plenty to spend... and still have plenty to spend.
The future is certainly bright for Cubs fans!
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