could he be next?

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Where are you hearing this from?

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Shields? Having watched him very thoroughly shit the bed in the WS I think I'd just as soon pass unless his price is so low that it's Silo-low.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Pass.

I'd like Brandon McCarthy.

I like Shields. He's an innings eater and may be better than Lester in the NL.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

TWEETER

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

It's coming from Goff #Imminent

If Shields signs with an NL team I would be willing to bet he will be better than Lester the next couple of years.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Oh fuck!

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I don't understand this.

If Lester was better than Shields was when they were both in the AL, why would Shields be better than Lester when they're both in the NL?

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Lester has only been better since the 2nd half of 2013. The gap wasn't that wide either.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I guess the tipping point for me is; Lester is actually a big-game pitcher.
If you believe in that sort of thing.

_________________
1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

True. Shields hasn't gotten it done in the playoffs.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Shields has a career batting average of .213. Lester has never had a hit in his career. He would have to bat in the NL.

_________________

I like Lester as a competitor. You can see it in his approach, he doesn't rattle on the biggest stage. Shields looked like a deer in the headlights. Lester has basically the stuff of Ted Lilly but he competes.

_________________
1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I agree. Especially considering he's lost a couple miles off his fastball. This contract will add a lot of pressure though.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Shields isn't in the World Series if Jay Lester doesn't faceplant in the WC game.

Over the course of a long period of time, Jon Lester performs in the post-season.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

or he's on the wrong side of 30 and J Lester's most recent performance is more predictive of his future performance than games pitched 7 years ago.

As recently as 2013, Lester pitched 34.2 innings in the postseason, to the tune of a 1.75 ERA. 0.96 WHIP.

I'll take a sample of 34.2 innings in 2013 over a sample of 7.1 innings in 2014.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Chus reminded Goff of the "imminent" thing yesterday.

_________________

Lotta innings on J Lester's arm at the end there in Boston--about 250 innings combined between regular season and playoffs in 2013? Maybe that's why he hit the wall in the playoffs this year (and why Boston dumped him and didn't make much of an effort to bring him back). Guys like CC and Verlander racked up innings before age 30 and then fell off the cliff post age 30. While CC's inning totals are insane--around 3K already btw reg season and playoffs. J Lester's at about the same innings total Verlander was at before Verlander went kaput--and Lester's only a year younger.

Justin Verlander had one poor season. Settle down on Justin Verlander. Every pitcher is allowed one.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Verlander's 2013 season wasn't much better than his 2014 season--neither were anywhere close to what he did in 2012 and 2011.

Verlander's WHIP by season:

2011 0.920
2012 1.057
2013 1.315
2014 1.398

You present solid statistics to support your view. I find your opinion to be too hastily made, but I respect the foundation you have based it on.

I believe we should wait to make any strong judgement until we have more data.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Verlander is highly reliant on velocity, particularly up in the zone. Once those heaters started coming in at 95 instead of 101 he has been hittable. Lester still throws his fastest pitch up in the zone, except now it's the cutter.

_________________
1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

there's talk that either Verlander has been pitching through some sort of chronic, minor injury or he is spending too much time motor-boating Kate Upton--not coming into the season in condition to pitch deep into games the way he used to.

whereas the opposite might be the case with CC--he lost too much weight and skinny CC isn't the same pitcher chubby CC was.

Yanks and Tigers can afford to pay these guys $25 mil per season to be 3/4/5 rotation pitchers and go out and get other guys to be their new 1/2 starters. Cubs appear to have all their marbles on an over 30 pitcher with a lot of innings on his arm continuing to be great for most of a 6 year contract.

Kind of expected the Cubs to follow the Royals model (not this season, but in 3 to 5 seasons or whatever the new timeline plan is) and swap some of their minor league assets for the last couple seasons of a James Shields type about to hit free agency for the first time. Less money, less risk, probably a better, more motivated pitcher.

So it's Jay Lester or bust for this iteration of the Cubs.

Yesterday on twitter, Goff talked about Cam Newton's accident. I said, "Cam's return to the Panthers is imminent." Camps followed by stirring the pot. Goff replied that "space ships don't have rear view mirrors", and it's only "five guys from the same place, who even talk about that."

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Lester has been better than Shields in 5 of the last 7 years (not even counting playoffs)