Dec. 11--To Tyler Christofferson, Jon Lester always will be the Little League teammate who wore his hat backward and No. 24 jersey like hero Ken Griffey Jr. did, the grade-school buddy who matured into a better person than player even though he's a major league star.
But as Christofferson went to work Wednesday at his job on the Mariners' grounds crew, he wondered if Lester's desire for a more profound baseball legacy ultimately drew him to the Cubs.
"This morning I was thinking if anybody ever won a World Series ring for both the Cubs and the Red Sox. No way, right?" said Christofferson, Lester's childhood friend from Tacoma, Wash. "Knowing Jon, I would guess the history of doing something nobody has in Chicago definitely came into play with his decision, the chance to accomplish something special in a city yearning for it. You're going to love this guy."
Based on local reaction to Lester signing a six-year, $155 million contract that legitimized the Cubs as playoff contenders, the North Side already has fallen head over heels. That creaking you heard in the wee hours of Wednesday morning was the Cubs' championship window officially opening.
Talk about an overnight sensation. Fox's Ken Rosenthal broke the news at 12:19 a.m. -- who says nothing good happens after midnight? While Chicago slept, Lester finally agreed to a deal that, more than anything, announced Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts' willingness to spend and his team's readiness to compete. Lester, the prize of free agency, chose the Cubs over the Red Sox and Giants. That's not a typo: Lester chose the Cubs over the Red Sox and Giants. If that looks odd to read, just wait until you see the National League Central standings next summer.
Just last spring, discussing pending free agency, Lester told the Boston Globe: "I don't like change or going to new places." Apparently that was before a chance at baseball immortality beckoned.
Apparently lightning can strike twice on a baseball diamond. Two months after signing manager Joe Maddon in a move nobody saw coming, the Cubs landed Lester, an instant ace. How quickly the debate shifted from whether Ricketts would commit financially to rebuilding the Cubs to whether the Cubs will be baseball's most improved team in 2015. Their biggest competition might come from the White Sox, still basking in the addition of starter Jeff Samardzija and closer David Robertson. Mark Dec. 9, 2014, as the day Chicago baseball returned to relevance.
Lester becomes the city's biggest free-agent signing since the Bears signed Julius Peppers in 2010. Pau Gasol's signing with the Bulls, much less celebrated, eventually could be more significant if it leads to an NBA Finals appearance. But in terms of buzz, Lester joining the Cubs exceeds both the Peppers and Gasol signings. Getting Lester's autograph becomes Epstein's signature player move, one the Cubs president wanted badly enough to include his first no-trade clause.
Epstein knows Lester's resolve from supporting him through treatment for anaplastic large cell lymphoma in 2006 -- a year before Lester pitched the 2007 World Series-clinching game for the Red Sox. During the Red Sox's White House visit that followed, President George W. Bush called Lester "an inspiration." When a young Red Sox minor leaguer named Anthony Rizzo was fighting Hodgkin's lymphoma in May 2008 and visiting the Massachusetts General Hospital oncology unit, Lester spent a few minutes assuring the teenager everything would be all right.
More evidence of strong character from Rizzo's new teammate: Lester personally notified officials of the teams that lost out on him, a gesture topped only by him responding individually on Twitter to every fan praising and criticizing him.
"He's an immensely gifted baseball player and his heart and personality are even greater," Christofferson said. "How he beat cancer and returned to win two World Series, well, it's something normal people don't do."
There has been nothing normal to this Cubs offseason. Firing Rick Renteria after one season to make room for Maddon suggested they were serious about winning now. Getting Lester confirmed it. And if the Cubs truly intend to contend in 2015, then every game matters enough to rethink starting Kris Bryant in the minors, if he's their best hitter in spring training, just to delay his major league clock starting. But that's a debate for another day. This day belonged to Lester.
Giving a pitcher who turns 31 next month a six-year contract represents a risk but also the price of doing baseball business. Letting Lester get away the way Masahiro Tanaka did last winter represented a bigger gamble for a franchise that needed a jolt of credibility. We are done talking about flipping players and tanking seasons. We can start taking the Cubs seriously again.
What now, Theo? How good can the Cubs get before spring training? What are the Cardinals thinking?
In response to signing Lester, Maddon told reporters in San Diego the Cubs had won the baseball lottery. To which many around the league thought the same thing.
Again?
dhaugh@tribpub.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
