Chicago Cubs: After Early Struggles, Jon Lester Starting to Earn Paycheck

This past offseason was a busy one for the Chicago Cubs. They signed ace pitcher Jon Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract, and they lured manager Joe Maddon to the North Side with a five-year, $25 million offer.

High expectations understandably followed.

"I'm gonna be talking playoffs next year, I'll tell you that right now," Maddon told the Chicago Tribune in November. "I can't go to spring training and say anything else. You have to set your goals high, because if you don't set them high enough you might hit your mark, and that's not a good thing. We're gonna talk World Series this year, and I'm gonna believe it. It's in our future."

That was all well and good, but then came Opening Night, when Lester could not get out of the fifth inning and surrendered eight hits and three runs. But that was just because of first-day jitters, right?

Not exactly. 

Lester gave up 12 earned runs over his next three starts and ended the month of April with an 0-2 record and a 6.23 ERA—not even close to resembling the steady stalwart of a pitcher that performed tremendously and consistently in Boston and Oakland.

One area that was particularly exploited in Lester's first career National League start was his perceived inability to throw the ball to first base. At the start of the season, he had gone 66 games without attempting a pickoff.

In the National League—where base-stealing is a bit more prevalent—some thought he might have to change his tendencies to be successful.

David Banks/Getty Images

But despite the early-season woes, the Cubs remained confident in their star pitcher. They said on multiple occasions that it was way too early to start worrying.

"I think the only good April I've ever had was last year," Lester told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "I'm usually not a fast starter. Usually I guess it's maybe mid-May, June where you get into that rhythm of every five days and arm strength has built up and it's started to warm up and everything falls into place."

Maddon was equally calm, downplaying Lester's lack of pickoffs to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

"

I think it's being a little overplayed right now, quite frankly. It's something that will get better. His work is very diligent, and I'd much prefer he worries more about getting his fastball where he wants and his cutter where he wants and all the normal pitching things. I'd prefer that would be his priority over the other thing. I don't want to make this an issue, because it's not for me at all.

"

I'm not sure if he heard this specific Maddon quote—or if he recently focused more on his fastball and cutter control—but whatever he did, it's starting to pay dividends.

He has won all three of his May starts with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings pitched. He is starting to do what an ace needs to. He is taking the ball every fifth day, pitching deep into games and giving his team a chance to win every time out.

It's hard to say how well one has to pitch to earn a $20 million paycheck, but if Lester continues to pitch like he has so far this May, the Cubs are certainly going to be happy with their investment.