The Jon Lester sweepstakes has come to a close.
The former World Series MVP has made his decision, and he’ll be taking his talents to Chicago to reunite with (former Red Sox general manager) Theo Epstein.
The deal, which was first reported by Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, is reportedly for six years and $155 million. Passan notes that the Red Sox were second in the bidding, with an offer of six years and $135 million.
Jon Lester’s six-year, $155-million deal gives him second highest AAV among starting pitchers, behind Kershaw and just ahead of Verlander.
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) December 10, 2014
Passan also provided an interesting detail of note. It appears Lester left some money on the table to play for the Cubs, as the Giants—who came out of nowhere and joined the bidding war—offered a deal with more money and one extra year.
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
This is a huge acquisition for the Cubs, who have now managed to land the top pitcher on the free agent market. He will likely anchor the team’s rotation as its “ace”—something the Cubs have not had since trading Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics in July. Lester will join Jason Hammel in the newly-revamped rotation, who is returning to Chicago on a two-year deal.
The left-handed pitcher recently released a statement on why he chose the Cubs over the Red Sox and Giants.
Why Lester liked the #Cubs. Pretty awesome statement. “I don’t want BS, I don’t want show…” pic.twitter.com/QGnMJdnoQP
— CubbieFans (@cubbiefans) December 10, 2014
Lester’s deal will likely open the door for Max Scherzer and James Shields, both of whom are testing the free agent market and will likely command hefty contracts.
In Lester’s nine seasons in the league, he’s put together a 116-67 record (3.58 ERA).