Chicago Cubs

Lester, Epstein Talk World Series as Pitcher is Introduced to Media

The Chicago Cubs introduced starting pitcher Jon Lester to the media on Monday afternoon, and as could be expected from a player who’s been named to three All-Star Games and won two World Series titles, there’s no doubt that he expects the north siders to be successful right away.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think they were going to win in 2015,” Lester said. “That’s how I think and I’m never going to say ‘we’ll be alright and we’ll get ‘em next year.’ I’m going in with the intention of winning in 2015 and that means the division, the World Series, everything.”

Lester, who agreed to a six-year, $155 million contract that includes the largest signing bonus in club history, was drafted by Cubs President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer while they were in the front office of the Boston Red Sox, and that relationship has enabled Cubs brass to understand just how much Lester has developed during his time in the big leagues.

“Jon was in the group of players we thought would be gone by the time our pick rolled around,” Epstein said. “I met Jon in instructional league that year, but he struck me as really mature compared to most high school kids. It was a pleasure to see him grow through the system, and obviously he did a great job of breaking in and overcoming adversity.

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“That 18-year old kid wouldn’t have been ready for this challenge, but the Jon Lester that sits to my right is ready for that challenge in every way,” Epstein continued.

Lester, who will be 31 years old when Opening Night against the St. Louis Cardinals rolls around in April, will be undoubtedly viewed as a leader on a team full of young and emerging talent, but his style isn’t necessarily one that involves pom-poms and yelling loudly.

“I’m not a very vocal guy,” he conceded. “I treat my job as a job, but I have fun doing it at the same time. I’m just going to put my head down, do my work, and not screw around. Hopefully these guys see that, and if they don’t, I can’t control that. I will focus on leading this team the best way I can, and the only way I know how.”

A lot of players come to Chicago with big hopes of being part of the team that ends the historic World Series drought the team faces (106 years and counting), but Lester feels that his time with the Red Sox has prepared him for the opportunity he is facing.

“I played in Boston for eight years. I think I’m pretty prepared for a lot of things,” he said with a laugh. “You just have to accept it. I have to believe that I’m going to be prepared for every start, and that’s all I can control.”

The signing of a player of Lester’s caliber is a sign that the Cubs feel their rebuilding process is far enough along that contention is no longer a pipe dream, and Epstein reiterated that point in his opening remarks at the press conference.

“This signing really marks a transition of sorts for the Cubs,” he said. “(It is) the start of a period where we are very sreious about winning a World Series and bringing a title to the people of Chicago. They’ve been so patient with us, and they truly deserve a pitcher and a person of this caliber to call their own. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.”

Lester echoed those sentiments when discussing how difficult it was to spurn offers from Boston, where he spent the first eight seasons of his career, and choosing to come to a new city with a long history of falling short in crunch time.

“Any time you’re in a place for a long time, it’s difficult to make that decision,” he said. “I believe in the plan these guys have, and it felt like the right fit for us at the right time. We fully buy in and take on the responsibility of bringing this city a World Series.”

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