Jon Lester Chooses The Chicago Cubs

Free-agent left-handed pitcher Jon Lester has agreed to sign with the Chicago Cubs for six years and $155 million. ESPN is reporting that his contract includes a vesting option for a seventh year that could bring Lester's total take to $170 million.

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The reported average annual value of $25.8 million would be the second highest for a pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw's $30.7 million as part of a $215 million, seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began in 2014, and would be the highest ever given to a free-agent pitcher on a multiyear deal.

New manager Joe Maddon, who said he got a text message with the news about a half-hour before word spread, called Lester the Cubs' "Plan A."

"It's not often you get to win the lottery," he said. "We won the baseball lottery so far this year, but now it's up to us to put it into effect. It's all theory right now. We've got to make it real, but you need pieces like this to make it real."

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Lester has a career mark of 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in nine seasons.