Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW California wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, businesses; one dead ... Oregon homeowners associations, residents clash over watering during drought ... Jackson County Jail becomes a revolving door over the weekend ... California wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, businesses; one dead ... Oregon homeowners associations, residents clash over watering during drought ... Jackson County Jail becomes a revolving door over the weekend ... MAJOR LEAGUES Cubs, Lester agree to six-year, $155M deal Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 8:59 PM Updated Dec 9, 2014 at 11:24 PM By The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 8:59 PM Updated Dec 9, 2014 at 11:24 PM » Social News SAN DIEGO — The Chicago White Sox were making the biggest moves at the winter meetings. Then their cross-town brethren stole the spotlight when pitcher Jon Lester agreed late Tuesday night to a $155 million, six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to a source. It was the first big deal of the offseason involving a top-level starting pitcher. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Lester's contract, agreed to on the second day of baseball's winter meetings, contains an option for 2021 that, if it becomes guaranteed, would make the deal worth $170 million over seven seasons. The average annual value of $25.8 million is the second-highest for a pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw's $30.7 million as part of a $215 million, seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began this year. A three-time All-Star, Lester turns 31 next month. The left-hander, who won two World Series titles with Boston, joins a team with a promising core of young players and a top-tier manager in Joe Maddon. Now, Chicago has an ace to lead the rotation as it tries to end a run of five straight losing seasons and a championship drought that dates to 1908. Lester was dealt by the Red Sox to Oakland at the trade deadline in July and helped the A's reach the playoffs for the third straight year before a 9-8, 12-inning loss to Kansas City in the AL wild-card game. He went 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts last season and is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in nine big league seasons. Lester had also been sought by Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, the White Sox, trying to regain relevance in the AL Central after losing 188 games over two seasons, were at work. Hours after reaching a $46 million, four-year deal with closer David Robertson, Chicago acquired starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija from the Oakland Athletics as part of a six-player trade. "In our mind we're not finished yet," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday. "We still know we have some other areas we need to improve and we're hopeful that in the coming days, and if not the coming days, then the coming weeks, we'll be able to fill a couple more voids in our roster." In the day's other significant swap, the Arizona Diamondbacks sent All-Star catcher Miguel Montero, who is owed $40 million over the next three seasons, to the Cubs for a pair of prospects. Coming off consecutive playoff appearances that followed a 20-year drought, the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a $39 million, three-year deal to keep left-hander Francisco Liriano. And Atlanta agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent infielder Alberto Callaspo. The deals for Robertson, Liriano and Callaspo were disclosed by people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been announced. The White Sox boosted their rotation by acquiring Samardzija, who played football for Notre Dame and pitched for the Cubs. Trading an All-Star for the third time in less than two weeks, the Athletics sent Samardzija and right-hander Michael Ynoa for right-hander Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley and first baseman Rangel Ravelo and infielder Marcus Semien. An All-America wide receiver with the Fighting Irish, Samardzija was 31-42 with a 3.97 ERA for the Chicago Cubs from 2008 until July 5, when he was traded to the A's. He went 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA for Oakland. Samardzija, a right-hander who turns 30 on Jan. 23, made $5,345,000 this year and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can become a free agent after the 2015 season. "We're going to make every effort to make this a long-term relationship," Hahn said. "We felt that this was a premium starter who fit, not just in terms of how he fit in our rotation, but how he fit in our clubhouse." By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2014 at 8:59 PM Updated Dec 9, 2014 at 11:24 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501