True, Lester is a true ace and this is a great pick up for the Cubs. I have to question if this is the correct time for the Cubs to push in though. The Cubs are stocked with position players in their system. They are young, exciting and full of promise. Truth of the matters though, they are slow and do not do a great job in run creation. They finished last season with a record of 73-89. I think it is unrealistic to think this team as it stands, even with adding Lester, can be above a .500 team next season. Projecting upward for the 2016 season as well, I can then see them in the playoff mix but that certainly will be a tough climb considering their division. To me, that is two wasted years of Lester at a high expense for the team. Leaving four years of realistic playoff projection on his six year contract. Those will be his 33-36 year old seasons. Lester is coming off one of his best seasons of his career, arguably his best. The Cubs are paying heavily for that. It is unrealistic to think he will maintain that level going forward, especially after the next two seasons when the Cubs will realistically be in the mix.
Well, if Kris Bryant, Soler, Baez, and Russell are all busts and equal to the sub-replacement level players the Cubs trotted out during the 1st two months of the season when they lost the majority of their games, your analysis makes perfect sense. However, if 2 or 3 of them ending up being positive offensive contributors along with Rizzo and Castro, then the Cubs should be competitive in the division and wild-card races.