Report: Lester, Cubs agree to 6-year, $155-million deal

Click here to access our MLB Tracker, which includes every offseason rumor, trade and signing.

The Chicago Cubs' long-awaited return to prominence received a major boost Tuesday night at the winter meetings.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, veteran left-hander Jon Lester has agreed to a deal with the Cubs, who reportedly handed the three-time All-Star a six-year, $155-million contract. 

ESPN's Jayson Stark provided additional details on the contract Wednesday morning, including a reported $30 million signing bonus to be paid over the life of the deal, full no-trade clause, and $25 million vesting option for 2021 with a $10-million buyout.

(Related: Cubs pay Lester record-setting sum for chance to win now)

Lester, who has a longstanding relationship with Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, reportedly could've landed a seven-year deal from the San Francisco Giants worth roughly $168 million but preferred to sign elsewhere, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Rather than join the reigning World Series champions, Lester instead opted to sign with a club that hasn't won a title in more than century.

"The thing I liked about 'em is it wasn’t forced and wasn't a sales pitch," Lester said after meeting with the Cubs in November. "It was like, 'This is what we can do.' I don't want BS. I don't want show. I don't want glitz and glamour. I don't want to walk out to the field with your name and number on the JumboTron. I'm not 18 anymore. I want you to tell me what you can do for me and my family."

Lester was also pursued aggressively by the Boston Red Sox, the club with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career, but the team's reported offer of $135 million wasn't enough to broker a reunion. 

(Related: Red Sox's $135 million offer to Lester falls short)

Selected in the second round of the 2002 draft, Lester helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles during his tenure with the club, which ended when he was shipped to the Oakland Athletics at last year's July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

With free agency looming, though, Lester enjoyed the finest season of his career, as he fashioned a career-best 2.46 ERA (155 ERA+) with a 1.10 WHIP over 32 starts between the Red Sox and Athletics. The 6-foot-4 southpaw also crafted a 4.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio, another personal best, while finishing fourth among American League starters with 5.8 RA9-WAR.

Under the terms of his new contract, Lester is set to average $25.8 million per season, a figure that trails only Clayton Kershaw in terms of annual salary among pitchers.

Lester is now poised to join an increasingly promising rotation that also features Jake Arrieta - he finished 11th among starters in WAR in 2014 - and Jason Hammel, who signed a two-year deal with the club Monday.