Cubs' Lester shocked by slow free-agent market: 'It's just alarming'
Like many around the baseball world, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester is flummoxed by the number of top-level players who remain unsigned.
It would be different if the market was flooded with fringe players, but there are several former All-Stars available. Lester doesn't see it as an ideal trend.
"I don’t know behind closed doors what’s being said, what’s not being said," Lester told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "It’s just alarming. We’re not talking about middle relievers with 5 ERAs. We’re talking about big guys."
Lester is especially surprised that Jake Arrieta and J.D. Martinez haven't found homes, and he says they shouldn't have to compromise their contract demands, either.
"There’s no reason why Jake Arrieta or J.D. Martinez or any of these guys should have to sign a one-year deal. That’s ridiculous," he said. "There’s too much money in the game. There’s money to be spent and for whatever reason it’s not being spent."
Related: Where would top remaining free agents land on one-year deals
One of the causes may be due to an influx of teams vying to rebuild, and thus aren't ready to compete. This has resulted in pointed criticism from the Major League Baseball Players Association and union head Tony Clark, who feels the race to the bottom "threatens the very integrity of the game."
Lester signed a lucrative deal prior to 2015 with the Cubs worth $155 million over six seasons plus a $25-million team option for 2021. His first season in Chicago was his age-31 season. The richest contract this offseason, also signed by the Cubs, was the 6-year, $125-million contract inked by starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who turns 32 in August.
For better or worse, the times appear to be changing.