Lester the Molester

Well  we won’t have to  watch Jon Lester kick the Yanks ass anymore, at least not 5 times a year.

Big Jon told John Henry and Larry Lucchino to  stick their home town discount where the sun don’t shine and was inked for 6 yr’s and $155M with an option yr by his old boss Theo Epstein.

Lester will move to the North  Side of Chicago for the next 6 seasons and pitch in the softer league with no DH. That’s a kool $25.8M per for the World Series and playoff hero, and it starts the Cano  type rebuild for the Chicago Cubs

Similar to  what Seattle did by overpaying Cadillac Cano, the Cubbies did with  Lester, it’s like putting the We’re Open For Business sign on the front door.

In the end Henry did have to fake crawling  back to Lester on his hands and knees, but gasing up  the  private jet plane to  fly to Atlanta for a faux Boston photo opt, and wearing out the knees on a 2,000 dollar pair of dress pants is a lot less expensive then shelling out $155M on a pitcher Boston never wanted to  pay long term in the first place

Yes you can  chisel this on my head stone, Henry is breathing a sigh of relief this morning that Lester decided to  bolt Boston

See kids, and Junior GM / baseball team owners, it pays to  embarrass your best pitcher with an offer that  is less then half his market value, it insures you won’t have to  get stuck paying him in the end despite Henry designing a publicity stunt in an effort to do  everything possible to  resign him..

Right, and Al Shady Sharpton and the St Louie Klan boys will be breaking bread today

The good news is the Yanks don’t have to  contend with a dominant LHP who  owns them, and now Boston will have to  battle the rest of the Lester losers for a cheaper alternative

Scherzer will be way  too  expensive for Boston’s weak  stomach, while Hamels and Cueto just  became prospect intensive if any team wants to grab the last 2 studs that  seem available in a trade..

Once you trade for the two  aforementioned hurlers your still  gonna have to pay  them  a substantial AAV, Hamels will  want to be either extended past his 4 yr’s with an option, or you’ll have to pick up his 5th year making him a 5 for around $114M value, close to Tanaka AAV or $22.8M. Plus Philly, unless Amaro  has lost his mind completely will  also  want at least  2 top prospects, one being Betts or Bogaerts and no  doubt Swihart or Vazquez plus a kid pitcher

That  hurts if your Boston who has built up  their hyped up prospects to  the untouchable level. Ceuto  will  also  cost more then just Cespedes, plus Cueto  will only cost $10M in 2015, but he’s a free agent  after this season and the way  top  of the rotation pitchers are being paid, Johnny Cueto  will  also get his over pay, plus your losing prospects

Must be tough being as Smaht as Boston’s front office

Meanwhile the Yanks should try to  grab McCarthy for Liriano  type money before  teams start  to offer him 4 yr’s and over $60M. Hopefully the teams that  lost out on Lester will  concentrate on Hamels / Cueto / Zimmerman who  will  zap your farm  system too.

They  will  also  hit Cincy up for Latos,  Leake and Simon, the Yanks will  still overpay  for McCarthy but how much is the question, and they  really shouldn’t use top rated prospects in a trade for a #3 type pitcher

Scherzer will  want $200M, but if the Giants who offered Lester $168M  make him a $180M offer that might stick once Boras wears out his $200M welcome mat. Bumgarner and Scherzer, that’s not a bad consolation  prize for a team that lost Lester and Frisco Fats, two  huge over pays.

Let’s also  hope the Headley market crashes and 3 for $39M comes into play or Victorino money..