Chicago Cubs: 3 players who won’t be back in 2021
34. player. 9. . SP. Chicago Cubs. Jon Lester
Jon Lester is the greatest free-agent signing in the history of the Chicago Cubs. He has been brilliant since coming over after becoming a multi-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox. When Theo Epstein brought him to the Cubs, it was a sign that they have arrived and are ready to win. You knew that Lester wasn’t going anywhere that he didn’t have a chance to win the World Series.
Well, Lester was awesome with the Cubs. He helped them deliver that World Series in 2016 and was a major key to winning it. He has been an extremely successful postseason pitcher in general for the Cubs. He has a 3-3 record in the playoffs with a 2.44 ERA and a .201 opponent batting average.
His regular-season record with the Cubs is 77-44. He has won a whole lot of baseball games thanks to his 3.64 Cubs ERA. His .636 winning percentage is the best by a lefty in the history of the Chicago Cubs. His impact on the team will last forever.
So why didn’t the Cubs pick up his 2021 option? Well, it is because he would be owed a lot of money. They might bring him back on a lesser deal but it doesn’t seem like a good fit anymore. There is a good chance that he has thrown his last pitch in a Cubs uniform.