Chicago Cubs sign pitcher Lackey to 2-year deal
The Cubs didn't wait around for the winter meetings to start.
Minutes after team president Theo Epstein hung up with beat writers on a conference call to talk about next week's meetings, news broke that the Cubs had agreed on a two-year contract with right-handed pitcher John Lackey.
Sources confirmed that the Cubs and the 37-year-old Lackey have agreed on a two-year deal worth $32 million. The deal is pending a physical, so Cubs officials are not commenting on it.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Lackey went 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA this year for the St. Louis Cardinals. He beat the Cubs 4-0 in Game 1 of the National League division series, which the Cubs went on to take in four games.
Lackey has pitched for the L.A. Angels, Boston Red Sox and Cardinals in his career, going 165-127 with a 3.92 ERA over parts of 13 seasons. He missed the 2012 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
The Cubs did not land free-agent pitchers Jordan Zimmermann or David Price, and Zack Greinke may be too rich for their blood, so Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer seem to be targeting the next level of free agents, and they'll also be active in trade talks at the winter meetings for one more starting pitcher.
For now, Lackey fits into the Cubs' rotation behind Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and high-priced lefty Jon Lester and ahead of Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks.
The Cubs would love to add more pitching depth at the winter meetings.
“Starting pitching is No. 1,” Epstein said. “We need to find someone who can slot right into our rotation. We also need depth. Center field and leadoff, 1A.”
Epstein and Lackey spent time together in Boston from 2010-11, when Epstein was general manager of the Red Sox. That connection also helped to bring Lester to the Cubs last winter on a six-year contract worth $155 million.
Lester and Lackey are friends, and they share the same kind of intense personality. Lester was the losing pitcher when Lackey beat the Cubs in Game 1 of the NLDS.
“Playoffs, man, this is what you play for,” Lackey said at the time. “I've been playing awhile, and this is pretty much the only reason I'm still going.”
Lackey worked 7⅓ scoreless innings against the Cubs on Oct. 9. After beating them, he had good things to say about the Cubs and Lester.
“He was ready to go,” he said of Lester. “I knew it was going to be a challenge. They're young, but they're talented. Talent can take you a lot of places; I don't care how old you are.”
None of the Cubs' starting rotation is homegrown. In addition to free agents Lackey, Lester and Hammel, Epstein and Hoyer traded for Arrieta and Hendricks. During each of their four drafts, the current Cubs regime has chosen position players in the first round.
Bringing homegrown pitching to the big leagues is not in the immediate offing. Hence the need for a pitcher such as Lackey.
“We have to create our own depth on the big-league club,” Epstein said. “I think we're probably going to end up with some guys in the bullpen who will be stretched out. I think we'll acquire some free agents and have some depth at Triple-A. I don't think we're in a position yet to count on our homegrown starters. We see them more in a developmental situation. The ones who are going to be in Triple-A, if they take a step forward and perform and sort of force their way onto the big-league scene and protect our rotation, that's great.”
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