Chicago Cubs: Creating the perfect lineup of the 2000s

1. Jon Lester

Other guys have had better numbers than Jon Lester throughout this run of Chicago Cubs baseball, but nobody is more consistent and reliable than Lester. The Cubs signed Lester to a six-year, $155 million deal prior to the 2015 season. The team was coming off of a 73-89 record and last-place NL Central finish, but Lester believed in the organization and bought in.

He is arguably the single-most important player that the Cubs acquired during this recent run and is inarguably the greatest free-agent signing in team history. Make no mistake about it, Lester is the ace of this staff.

2. Jake Arrieta

Jake Arrieta pitched for four years in Chicago and was an incredibly important player during the championship run. Arrieta’s 2015 season was arguably the best single-season pitching performance in the entire history of the Chicago Cubs. He was absolutely dominant that season and while he was not quite as dominant in 2016, he was still great and completely reliable throughout the postseason.

Simply put, the Chicago Cubs do not win the World Series in 2016 without Arrieta on the roster.

3. Kerry Wood

While his career never turned out as great as we expected, Kerry Wood was still an extremely productive pitcher for the Cubs and an important player in the history of the franchise. Wood paired a high 90s fastball with a knockout curveball that was ridiculously difficult to hit. His control was never perfect, but Wood could dominate with his pure stuff at times.

Unfortunately, injuries held back Wood’s career, but if we could get him while he was healthy, Wood would be an easy choice for this rotation.

4. Kyle Hendricks

Kyle Hendricks is never going to blow you away with his stuff, but he lives with pinpoint control and elite command at all times. Hendricks changes speeds well and places it wherever he wants at all times. He is an absolute wizard on the mound and undoubtedly deserves a high ranking in this rotation.

5. Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano may not have been the best teammate all of the time and he would undoubtedly let his temper get the best of him. That being said, Big Z was the ultimate competitor on the mound and had some pretty wicked stuff to go with it. Zambrano was never someone who you could consistently count on as a stable force in the rotation, but his highs were extremely high and in a one-game scenario, he would be tough to beat if he is at his best.