Forum » ude Jake Arrieta, Travis Wood, and Kyle H

SAN DIEGO - Jon Lester agreed Tuesday night to a $155 million, six-year contract with the Cubs, the first big deal of the off-season involving a top-level starting pitcher and one Chicago hopes will help end more than a century of frustration at Wrigley Fields Friendly Confines.Lesters contract, agreed to on the second day of baseballs winter meetings, contains an option for 2021 that, if it becomes guaranteed, would make the deal worth $170 million over seven seasons. The average annual value of $25.8 million is the second-highest for a pitcher behind Clayton Kershaws $30.7 million as part of a $215 million, seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began this year.Its not often you get to win the lottery, and we won the baseball lottery this year, new Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Now its up to us to put it into effect.A three-time All-Star who turns 31 next month, Lester won two World Series titles with Boston. The left-hander joins a long-suffering team with a promising core of young players and a top-tier manager, Maddon, who left Tampa Bay and signed a $25 million, five-year contract with the Cubs.Now, Chicago has an ace to lead the rotation as it tries to end a run of five straight losing seasons and a championship drought that dates to 1908.Lester was dealt by the Red Sox to Oakland at the trade deadline in July and helped the As reach the playoffs for the third straight year before a 9-8, 12-inning loss to Kansas City in the AL wild-card game. He went 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts last season and is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in nine big league seasons.He also had been sought by the Red Sox, World Series champion San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Lester is headed to a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 2008, but he knows Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer from their time together in Boston.Maddon had been used to small payrolls in Tampa Bay.Ive not been on this side since my days with the Angels, when I got an email in Italy that we had signed Vladimir Guerrero, said Maddon, who was a coach in Anaheim before switching to Tampa Bay. I think that definitely sends that message how Theo and the group feel about this particular group. But understand, we have a lot of young players that have to grow up as quickly as possible. But having Jon there adds to the flavour and the possibility.The Cubs management is making over the team in a big way.Chicago has a pending $20 million, two-year deal with right-hander Jason Hammel, traded by the Cubs to Oakland last summer. Earlier Tuesday, the Cubs acquired All-Star catcher Miguel Montero from Arizona for minor league right-handers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley — a deal that added $40 million in payroll over the next three years.Chicagos rotation is likely to also include Jake Arrieta, Travis Wood, and Kyle Hendricks.The Cubs also have a pair of All-Stars in the batting order in first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro and expect improved performances from young sluggers Javier Baez and Jorge Soler. Ahead is another wave of prospects that includes third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell.Maddon hopes an addition such as Lester helps change the mindset in the clubhouse when spring training starts in February.It definitely makes it more believable to everybody else in that room, he said. Ill stand up and make the same speech regardless, but when you have it backed up by that particular kind of presence, it adds to it.___AP Sports Writer Howie Rumberg contributed to this report. Josh Lambo Jersey . -- The Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten with a scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Brad Nortman Jersey . The club says its first-choice centre back "underwent medical tests on Wednesday morning" which confirmed he has injured his right hamstring. The injury was caused in the second minute of Tuesdays 4-1 league win over Real Sociedad in the Camp Nou when teammate Sergio Busquets accidentally struck Mascherano just above the knee with an outstretched boot. http://www.officialjacksonvillejaguarsfo...jersey-womens.C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. Cody Kessler Jersey . Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. Landry Jones Jersey . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0.TORONTO - When the Raptors first set out on their daunting six-game, two-week journey - broken up by the short holiday break in between - a record of 2-4 may have seemed like a passable, perhaps even optimistic final result. At worst, that looked to be where their recent road trip was headed. They hung with a talented Bulls team until the closing minutes in Chicago before heading out West. They upset the Clippers in L.A. and battled altitude on the second night of a back-to-back, coming up victorious in Denver. They wrapped up a historic calendar year in Portland, dropping a hard-fought overtime contest to the red-hot Trail Blazers. Then the elements got the best of them, undoubtedly leaving a sour taste in their mouths as they made their long-awaited and much needed return to Toronto on Monday. The Raptors opened 2015 with a pair of uncharacteristically lifeless outings in Oakland and Phoenix, surrendering 251 total points in suffering their most lopsided defeats of the season. Battling the expected fatigue that tends to take over at the end of a long trip, with Kyle Lowry running on fumes, carrying the weight of the injured DeMar DeRozan, Toronto ran into two opponents that anyone would hate to face with heavy legs in the Warriors and Suns. They simply ran out of gas. These West Coast excursions have long been a cause of frustration for the franchise ,but these two blowouts still seemed odd, an unfamiliar sight to behold during a campaign in which theyve competed with remarkable consistency. It was the first time all year they had been thoroughly outplayed, not just once but twice in two games and, for that reason theyve earned the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. Billed as their biggest test of the season to this point, and it was, this trip was supposed to help expose the teams true personality. But it didnt. The same questions remain. Are their impressive offensive numbers a mirage and can they defend enough to hang with the leagues elite clubs? Is their 24-10 record a product of what many have called a soft early-season schedule or are they still trending upwards? What are they really made of? Much of this uncertainty can be attributed to the absence of DeRozan, who has missed over five weeks worth of games with a torn tendon in his groin, but is expected to be back in uniform when the Raptors return to the court at home to the Hornets on Thursday. Toronto has gone 11-7 without its leading scorer - 10-1 against sub-.500 competition, but just 1-6 versus winning teams over that stretch.dddddddddddd The Raptors have lost three games by 10 points or more this season - all of them without DeRozan, with two coming on this trip. Theyve squandered three games in which they held a lead going into the fourth quarter - twice on the trip, all without DeRozan. This is not to say, with any certainty, that he is the sole cause of, or the easy solution to these problems. Even with DeRozan, the Raptors had their share of difficulty against elite competition last season (they were 16-25 against winning clubs), prone to late-game offensive droughts similar to the ones that spelled recent disaster in losses to the Bulls and Blazers. If nothing else, getting DeRozan back should help decipher whether or not these are big-picture concerns. More than anything else, their most pressing concern remains on the defensive end. Only the lowly Knicks and Timberwolves are giving up more points per 100 possessions than the Raptors since the end of November - when DeRozan missed his first contest - aided by their second-ranked offence. They allowed a 40-point first quarter (at Golden State), a 43-point second quarter (at Phoenix) and a 49-point fourth quarter (at Chicago) in three separate games on the recent trip. That will be Dwane Caseys emphasis when they hit the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday and DeRozans impending return should help restore some normalcy on that end - they were ranked ninth in defensive efficiency prior to his injury. Although DeRozan is considered an average on the ball defender, at best, his familiarity with and commitment to Caseys schemes have been missed. Beyond that, his return shifts everyone back to their natural roles, taking pressure off of Lowry - one of their more capable stoppers - and reducing the defensive responsibilities of Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez on the perimeter. Plus, his knack for getting to the line (they attempted nearly seven fewer free throws per game in his absence) helps reset the defence. His return, and the teams homecoming, couldnt be coming at a better time. The Raptors will have three days - including two full practice sessions - to regroup before hosting the Hornets and, likely, welcoming DeRozan back just under six weeks after he sustained his injury. Theyll take on four losing teams at home (with a combined record of 36-95) before facing another tough test in the now first-place Atlanta Hawks and a much improved New Orleans Hornets team to round out a six-game home stand. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '