After an initial announcement stating that they had signed the team’s newest ace starting pitcher, the Cubs sheepishly announced that the team has not in fact sign Jon Lester, but instead signed a six-year, $155 million contract with Jon Lieber, the 44-year old right-hander who pitched for the Cubs from 1999-2002 before retiring with the club as a reliever in 2008.
An embarrassed Jed Hoyer announced the mix up in a press conference, telling reporters, “This is on me, you guys. I don’t even know how his name got put on the pile, but I saw ‘Jon L’ and he mentioned he was a 20-game winner once, so I assumed, you know, that it was Lester. I really should read these contracts closer before signing them, this is totally my fault.”
When reached for comment, Lieber stated, “You know what, I was as surprised as anyone else to see a $25 million a year deal that would extend past my 50th birthday land on my front doorstep. I’ll probably be a bit rusty, to be honest, but if I really try I’ll probably be better than Edwin Jackson at least.”
