Cubs Offseason 2014: So, what did your team do this offseason? Isn't that cute.

[Bort]

Now it's real. We don't have to go to plan B. They actually got the guy they wanted. Fuck this changes everything.

The Cubs won a bidding war? That can't be right.

[Saul Goodman]

Now it's real. We don't have to go to plan B. They actually got the guy they wanted. Fuck this changes everything.

The Cubs won a bidding war? That can't be right.

It turns out they were already more than 60% of the way toward signing Jon Lester all along. That is absolutely staggering.

[BBM]

Now it's real. We don't have to go to plan B. They actually got the guy they wanted. Fuck this changes everything.

The Cubs won a bidding war? That can't be right.

Until Bill Simmons weighs in I still think he's going to Boston.

[Quality Start Machine]

If Arietta has the same type of year he did last year, he's the best #2 starter in the league.

[ChuckD]

If Arietta has the same type of year he did last year, he's the best #2 starter in the league.

... East of Zack Greinke. And West of your choice between Zimmerman/Strasburg.

And that's a rather large if.

[Eli]

So awesome. Can't wait to see what they do next, given all the buzz that adding Lester means they'll want to add more talent.

I'm puzzled by the David Ross stuff though. They're not going to carry three catchers, so that would mean a Castillo trade (even though Theo denied that yesterday).

[R-V]

So awesome. Can't wait to see what they do next, given all the buzz that adding Lester means they'll want to add more talent.

I'm puzzled by the David Ross stuff though. They're not going to carry three catchers, so that would mean a Castillo trade (even though Theo denied that yesterday).

I saw some chatter about Beef going to Colorado as part of a Carlos Gonzalez deal.

[Tonker]

So awesome. Can't wait to see what they do next, given all the buzz that adding Lester means they'll want to add more talent.

I'm puzzled by the David Ross stuff though. They're not going to carry three catchers, so that would mean a Castillo trade (even though Theo denied that yesterday).

I saw some chatter about Beef going to Colorado as part of a Carlos Gonzalez deal.

I think Ross was probably an option until they got Montero.  Montero and Castillo make a lot of sense as a platoon, and I'm guessing that Lester will also be happy enough to throw to Montero instead of Ross.  Defensively, he's pretty fucking good.

[thehawk]

So this is actually happening?

[ChuckD]

So this is actually happening?

It's gonna.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

So this is actually happening?

It's gonna.

It's gotta.

[InternetApex]

Now it's real. We don't have to go to plan B. They actually got the guy they wanted. Fuck this changes everything.

Can't wait to see what's next. Also, this passage from the Yahoo Sports story kindly invites all the people who love claiming Theo and his team are incompetent/idiots/not as smart as they think they are to go fuck themselves.

All the while, Lester became a great ally of the pediatric cancer community with the NVRQT campaign. During meetings with teams, he stressed the importance of his charity work. The Cubs' emphasis on it during their mid-November meeting – while most of his other get-togethers included strictly ownership and baseball-operations people, Chicago brought in community-relations personnel – stuck with Lester, as did the straightforwardness of Epstein and Hoyer.

"The thing I liked about 'em is it wasn't forced and wasn't a sales pitch," Lester said after his meeting with the Cubs. "It was like, 'This is what we can do.' I don't want BS. I don't want show. I don't want glitz and glamour. I don't want to walk out to the field with your name and number on the JumboTron. I'm not 18 anymore. I want you to tell me what you can do for me and my family."

He's gonna be so pissed when he sees the new JumboTron. Too late, sucker. 

[Quality Start Machine]

So awesome. Can't wait to see what they do next, given all the buzz that adding Lester means they'll want to add more talent.

I'm puzzled by the David Ross stuff though. They're not going to carry three catchers, so that would mean a Castillo trade (even though Theo denied that yesterday).

I saw some chatter about Beef going to Colorado as part of a Carlos Gonzalez deal.

I think Ross was probably an option until they got Montero.  Montero and Castillo make a lot of sense as a platoon, and I'm guessing that Lester will also be happy enough to throw to Montero instead of Ross.  Defensively, he's pretty fucking good.

A catcher who can hit AND play his position? Who knew these things existed?

This also buys the Cubs some time if they really want to push all their "Schwarber as a catcher" chips to the midle of the table.

[Saul Goodman]

Boston fans are taking this well.

To Red Sox Nation, I understand the disappointment. Boston will always have a big place in my heart and we'll always consider y'all family!

@JLester31 I hope you enjoy taking Joe Maddon's hard dick up the ass.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Boston fans are taking this well.

To Red Sox Nation, I understand the disappointment. Boston will always have a big place in my heart and we'll always consider y'all family!

@JLester31 I hope you enjoy taking Joe Maddon's hard dick up the ass.

Oh my, I haven't heard that about Maddon!