The Chicago Cubs are targeting Jon Lester in MLB free agency, and they will formally meet with him next week.
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Theo Epstein is looking to a big splash in free agency on the pitching front, and is looking to get the Chicago Cubs back into playoff contention immediately this season. One name that has been linked the Cubs quite often so far this offseason is former Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics starting pticher Jon Lester, who is very familiar with Epstein from their days in Boston.
According to a report from MLB reporter Bruce Levine, Lester will visit the Cubs at some point next week for formal meetings and a tour. There is plenty of interest in him on the open market, and the Cubs will need to make a big first impression to lock him up.
Lester has been one of the best MLB arms over the past few years, and at the age of 30 still has plenty of good baseball left in him. They will likely have to give him a deal that will hurt them in the couple years, but it would be worth it to get him for the next four or five season.
Last season split between the Red Sox and Athletics, Lester compiled a 16-11 record to go along with a 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts. Needless to say, those numbers are very solid and the Cubs would immediately see their rotation take a huge jump in the right direction by adding him. The Cubs are finally willing to spend some big money in free agency to acquire pitching, and they believe that their young offense is talented enough to power them to postseason contention with the addition of an arm or two.
All of that being said, it’s going to be a fairly hectic bidding war to sign Lester this offseason. There are plenty of teams out there with the money and desire to bring him on board, including the Red Sox who he still is very fond of. Despite all of the other interest, quite a few analysts believe that he will wind up with the Cubs, and all of that starts with his meeting next week.
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