Washington Nationals left-hander Jon Lester believes Chicago Cubs stars Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant will look out of place if they leave the team in free agency after the 2021 campaign.
"It'll definitely be weird seeing them in different uniforms, but, unfortunately, that's the nature of what we do," Lester said Saturday, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "The Cubs have a business to run, and they have to do what they feel is necessary to set them up for the future, whether it be financially or the guys on the field.
"It's a hard thing to separate, but hopefully those guys are all there and it's a moot question and they continue to have that core."
Lester, who spent six years with the Cubs and won a World Series with the trio in 2016, acknowledged Chicago will have a tough time keeping the group together on the North Side.
"I'm sure it'll be very hard to keep all three of them there," Lester said. "(It'd be) a little different Cubs look if all three of them aren't there."
Chicago reportedly offered Baez around $160 million-$170 million in 2020, while Rizzo was apparently tabled a five-year extension worth $70 million this spring. No details have leaked about contract talks with Bryant, but the 2016 NL MVP has been mentioned in trade rumors for years.
