Chicago Cubs Sign Jon Lester to a $155 Million, Six-Year Contract

By Cheri Cheng - 10 Dec '14 09:22AM

Lefty ace Jon Lester will be pitching in Chicago next season. The free agent has agreed to a six-year contract worth $155 million with the Chicago Cubs.

"It's not often you get to win the lottery,'' Cubs manager Joe Maddon said according to USA TODAY Sports. "We won the baseball lottery so far this year. It's up to us now to put it in effect. It's all theory right now. We've got to make it real. But you need pieces like this to make it real.''

The Cubs were able to outbid the Boston Red Sox by $20 million. The San Francisco Giants made a similar bid worth $150 million, but were rejected early.

Lester will be reunited with Theo Epstein, who left the Red Sox in 2011 to take on the title as the president of the Chicago Cubs. According to Bob Nightengale, Epstein was vital in convincing Lester to pick the Cubs and help bring them to their first World Series, a title that has remained elusive for the team since they won back in 1908.

When asked about the team, Maddon said, according to the Bleacher Report, "It's really exciting to be in this position right now. I'm working with a new group of people in a very vibrant city and a great group of core players. And all of a sudden you add this kind of a piece to that particular puzzle. It's very exciting."

According to Craig Caicaterra with NBC Sports' Hardball Talk, "the time to win is now." He writes:

"The Lester move - and to a lesser extent the unexpected hiring of Joe Maddon just prior to that - changes all of that. They are signals to Cubs fans that the time to win is now, their team is credible and not laughable and that they expect to contend. After all, one does not spend $155 million on a pitcher and toss aside the manager they just hired a year ago for a big name like Maddon with the expectation of improving to .500."

Lester finished last season 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA. His World Series numbers with the Red Sox have been phenomenal, posting a 0.43 ERA with 3 wins, zero losses in three starts. For the postseason, Lester has a 6-4 record with a 2.57 ERA in 14 starts.