With Jon Lester Signing, Cubs Finally Get Their Ace

The Chicago Cubs finally got their ace and it's Jon Lester. Late Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning, Lester decided to choose the Chicago Cubs over his former team the Boston Red Sox. The deal is 6 years, $155 million. With a vesting option for a seventh year. Lester also received a $30 million signing bonus. 

The main thing the north siders have been lacking is pitching. This helps out a bit but just Lester won't put them over the top. Chicago still needs maybe 2 more impact starters. Which they can wait until the 2015 free agency class that includes guys like David Price, Johnny Cueto & Jordan Zimmerman, to name a few. 

The Cubs are not going all in this season. Which is smart. Smart for the Cubs not to spend their money on both Lester and Scherzer or Shields. The Cubs have a lot of young raw talent that is yet to be fully developed. I still wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs miss the playoffs.

For the first time in a long time, there's a lot of excitement in the Windy City. With acquisition of Lester, plus bringing back Jason Hammel & trading for catcher Miguel Montero, this Cubs team will be much better than last season. Not to mention, they have a new manager that's pretty good at what he does, Joe Maddon. I think this team will vastly improve.

Realisticly, the Cubs are still a few players a way from being a World Series caliber team. They need an impact bat to put in the outfield. Kris Bryant will most likely be called up to the majors this upcoming season but who knows when. Will he make the opening day roster? Will it be a few weeks? Who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.

Regardless, the Cubs have a lot of great young pieces to build around. Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Arismendy Alcantara, to mention a few. Not to mention Addison Russell, who is a top 10 prospect in the Cubs organization but he may still be 2 years away from the show.

The Cubs have improved their team this offseason but they now they have to perform on the field. In my opinion, as of right now, this is how I'd see the starting rotation looking:

1. Jon Lester

2. Jake Arrieta 

3. Jason Hammel

4. Kyle Hendricks

5. Travis Wood/Edwin Jackson/Tsuyoshi Wada/Felix Dubront

For that final spot I do think Travis Wood will get it. But there's a lot of buzz in the Windy City on the north side, and it's a good buzz.

Also: The Cubs will be officially introducing Jon Lester tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM CT.

If the Cubs Miss Out on Jon Lester, They Must Pounce on Max Scherzer

As we all know, the Chicago Cubs are heavily pursuing free agent pitcher Jon Lester. With the connection of Lester and Cubs President Theo Epstein, it seems to be a good fit for Lester. He'd also be the ideal number one starter for Chicago.

As of right now, I'd have to say that the Boston Red Sox are the frontrunners. The Cubs are a rebuilding team and are still maybe two or elite pitchers away from being a contender which may be two years from now.

What makes me think Boston is in the lead for the services of Lester is the acquisitions of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. That shows Lester the Red Sox's willingness to be a winner right now.

It was also reported that initially, the Red Sox offered Jon Lester a contract of 6 years and between the $110-$120 million range. It was reported just the other day that the Cubs offered Lester 6 year deal worth "just north" of $135 million. The question for Lester is, what do you want more? To win right now and take less money, or to take more money and be a part of a team with a much brighter future.

We'll see, but if the Cubs miss out on Lester, they can't just give up on the offseason, they must chase Max Scherzer. Scherzer is just as good, if not better than Lester and Scherzer would probably cost the Cubs more as well. It'd be worth it, though. The Cubs are in desperate need of a legit number one starting pitcher. Here's what the starting five would most likely look like on Opening Day as of right now: Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Travis Wood, Edwin Jackson and Tsuyoshi Wada. Not very good.

Adding Scherzer to that would be a great first step and then maybe adding a nice number two or three in guys like; Jake Peavy, Francisco Liriano or Jason Hammel. 

There's a lot of options for the Cubs right now. Personally, I'd be very upset if the Cubs miss out on Lester. He'd be great at the top of the Cubs rotation. Before free agency, I was hoping of acquisitions of Lester, Cole Hamels and Jake Peavy. That doesn't seem like reality now as the Cubs have already said they won't overspend and be heavy spenders this offseason.

Now I can see the Cubs acquiring Scherzer, Peavy and maybe Liriano. Which would give the Cubs a nice top three starters. In reality, don't expect all three. I'd be surprised if two of those names were signed by Chicago but regardless, the Cubs must sign Jon Lester or Max Scherzer. It's crucial for their future.

Realistic Expectations for the Cubs This Offseason

With the hiring of Joe Maddon, the Cubs are expected to be a lot more aggressive in free agency. According to front office, Maddon didn't change their plans. They were to be aggressive regardless. But what is realistic for the Cubs this offseason? 

The Cubs are interested in the big names this winter like; Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, Jake Peavy, James Shields and Russell Martin. There were also reports yesterday stating that the Cubs will call the Philadelphia Phillies to inquire about Cole Hamels. If one thing is apparent, the Cubs need pitching.

Is it realistic they land two of the top free agent pitchers available? I personally don't think so. I predict the Cubs will land either Lester or Scherzer and possibly add James Shields or Jake Peavy at the right cost.  

The first domino to fall will most likely be Martin to the Cubs. ESPN's Buster Olney predicts that Martin is destined for the Windy City. I agree. Position wise, catcher is the weakest position for the Cubbies. Especially in the infield with every position set in stone except for catcher. Expect Martin to be the first domino to fall.

Now, the Cubs biggest need is obviously pitching. I don't see where they could wrong with any of these guys available. Personally, Jon Lester is a favorite of mine. I'd love to see him in Cubbie blue. You can't go wrong with him or Scherzer.

I wouldn't mind seeing Scherzer in a Cubs uniform either. He's made a name for himself as one of the top pitchers in the league over the past few seasons. With all that said, I'd be surprised if Lester or Scherzer don't end up with the Cubs.

The Cubs may want to save some money for next offseason with possibly an opportunity to sign David Price. Price, of course has the connection with Joe Maddon, his former manager in Tampa Bay. That's also where the James Shields to Cubs connection comes in as well. Its a more likely possibility to see Shields on the Cubs then Price.

Personally, I wouldn't mind the Cubs signing Lester or Scherzer then signing Peavy or Shields and then finding a way to also trade for Cole Hamels. That would be a nice three-headed monster. I doubt the Cubs could pull that off, but you never know.

The Cubs future is filled with excitement with pitching as the only area of concern. Their infield will be great with the impending arrival of last year's Minor League player of the year, Kris Bryant. Bryant is loaded with talent. 

The Cubs could have a roster as soon as this upcoming season consisting of; Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Arismendy Alcantara and Jorge Soler. Lots of pure talent. A very young team that is destined for success.

In the end, these are my predictions for the Cubs offseason:

Jon Lester: 6 years, $135 million

Russell Martin: 4 years, $72 million

Cole Hamels: Via trade with Phillies

& expect a lot of small signing as well. 

All in all, it will be a busy offseason for the Chicago Cubs!

Cubs Get Their Man; Set to Introduce Joe Maddon as Manager on Monday

The Chicago Cubs finally got their man. After 2 managers without a history of winning, the Cubs today announced the firing of manager Rick Renteria and announced they would introduce new manager Joe Maddon on Monday afternoon.

For the past few years, the Cubs have been one of the least competitive teams in the league. They are a team in transition. But Cubs fans have kept the faith.

Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations for the Cubs had a plan. Get all these top prospects, pile them up then make a splash. The hiring of Maddon is definitely a legitimate splash for the Cubs and they won't stop there. Expect them to add high end starting pitching this Winter.

With the best farm system in the majors, it was only a matter of time before they became a contending team. This move doesn't automatically make them a contender but it's a step in the right direction. Maddon isn't coming to Chicago to be the manager of a team at the bottom of the National League, he's coming to end the Cubs 107 year World Series title drought.

The Cubs have the position players in Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and much more. This Cubs team is stacked with top prospects including 2014 MILB player of the year, Kris Bryant. He completely tore it up in AA and AAA. It certainly seems like he's set up to succeed in the majors. Time will tell.

The Cubs need to address pitching this offseason. Names that have been floated out there are; Jon Lester, James Shields, David Price and Jake Peavy, to name a few. Lester seems like the ideal fit for the Cubs. But Shields and Price are intriguing as well as both played under Maddon in Tampa.

The arrival of Maddon will only speed up this rebuilding process even more. Cubs will try to add a lot more talent a lot quicker now that they have a proven manager. The hire of Maddon shows the Cubs are ready to contend right away. Epstein had a plan. He did while he was in Boston and he eventually delivered a championship.

You may not see a championship in year one of Maddon's tenure with the Cubs but you'll definitely see vast improvement. Maddon is a proven winner and he has also been Manager of the year on two different occasions. The time is now for the Cubs. I expect the Cubs to be very competitive over the next few seasons and hopefully lead to a Cubs World Series title. Maddon seems like the perfect guy for the job. Today is a great day for all of Cubs Nation.