The Nationals and free-agent left-hander Jon Lester are in agreement on a one-year deal, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.
Lester, 37, has pitched 15 big league seasons as one of the Majors’ most impactful southpaw starters. The
The Nationals and free-agent left-hander Jon Lester are in agreement on a one-year deal, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.
Lester, 37, has pitched 15 big league seasons as one of the Majors’ most impactful southpaw starters. The Washington state native is a three-time World Series champion, earning titles with both the Red Sox (twice, in 2007 and ’13) and the Cubs (’16) while also capturing the ’16 NLCS MVP and earning five All-Star Game selections. He has pitched the last six seasons with Chicago, finishing his memorable Cubs tenure with a 77-44 record, 3.64 ERA and three crucial victories during the North Siders’ curse-breaking run to the ’16 World Series title.
The 2020 season saw Lester post a career-worst 5.16 ERA across 12 starts, including a career-worst 6.2 strikeouts and 1.6 home runs allowed per nine innings. But Lester also contains a sterling postseason resume, boasting a career 2.51 ERA in October. He’s also been durable, making at least 30 starts in every full season since 2008.
Lester will join a veteran rotation in Washington headed by the trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin that helped the Nationals capture their first World Series championship in 2019.
Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @mattkellyMLB.
