Jon Lester: Cubs ‘Could Win in 2015’

With a No. 34 pinstriped uniform on his back and a blue cap with red “C” on his head, Jon Lester officially became a member of the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

In his introductory press conference, the former Red Sox southpaw expressed how excited he was to come to the Windy City and compete for a World Series title as soon as 2015.

“I can tell you honestly I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could win in 2015,” he said during the press conference. “I believe in the plan these guys have and it felt like the right fit for us at the right time.”

Lester joins the Cubs after spending 8 ½ of the first nine years of his career with the Red Sox. The left-hander chose Chicago over Boston last week, agreeing to a six-year, $155 million contract to pitch at Wrigley Field, $20 million more than the Red Sox were reportedly willing to offer.

“This is a very, very significant day for the Cubs for a lot of great reasons,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “Obviously, we get better on the field as Jon is the perfect pitcher to lead our rotation for where we want to go. We get better in the clubhouse with Jon’s character and work ethic and his ability to perform at his best when the games matter most, which sets a great example for our players.”

Lester said that he had consulted with former Oakland teammates Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija on the Cubs and the city of Chicago. Hammel also signed with the Cubs this offseason, while Samardzija, who pitched at Wrigley for the first 6 ½ seasons of his career, is now with the cross-town rival White Sox.

“I asked a lot of questions to a lot of different guys about a lot of different teams and organizations and having Jason Hammel and Samardzija there; just wanted to get their feel for what Chicago brought and what made them happy here,” he said. “They had nothing but good things to say about it, both on the city standpoint and the organization standpoint.”

Lester said that former Red Sox teammate Dustin Pedroia tried to sway him to come back to Boston multiple times, but ultimately supported Lester in his decision to join the Cubs.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from him over the past couple weeks; some interesting words along the way,” Lester said. “But in the end he’s a great friend of mine, he’ll always be a great friend of mine. As sad as I was to leave those guys, I think he was just as excited as we are [for me] to be here.”

In choosing Chicago over Boston, Lester said that he probably would have had a harder time had he not been traded to Oakland midway through the year, and therefore knew he could succeed somewhere besides the place he called home for the entirely of his pro career. Lester was dealt to the A’s on July 31 along with Jonny Gomes in the trade that brought Yoenis Cespedes to Boston.

“I think going [to Oakland] prepared us for this time,” he said. “I think if we finished out the year in Boston and you get down to this decision, I think it would be a lot harder. Not to say it wasn’t hard as it was, but that broke that barrier of, ‘I wonder if I can play for another team.’ I think we answered those questions.”