Jon Lester would drastically speed up the Chicago Cubs rebuilding process

As the Winter Meetings enter day two, Jon Lester is still all the talk. Social media has run rampant with reports, and most differ from one another. But most seem to still have the Chicago Cubs in the heat of the race or at the lead. For an estimated six-years at $150+ million, is Lester really worth all this hype?

On the opening day of the meeting, the Cubs welcomed back Jason Hammel with a two-year deal after trading him at the deadline to the A’s last season. Hammel greatly enjoyed his time with the club, and said as much immediately after the trade, saying the program the team had him in made him a better pitcher. After playing with Lester in Oakland last season, it’s likely he shared that with him at some point in time.

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The Cubs had a few glaring voids to fill in the meetings, and prior to Spring Training. Starting pitching was one of them. And while Hammel isn’t Lester, it immediately shored up the backend of the rotation. Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta are essentially sure bets. Travis Wood is coming off a down year, but could be a solid anchor in the rotation if he can come close to replicating his 2013 campaign. Hammel as of now slides into the No. 3 spot. Jacob Turner and Tsuyoshi Wada look to compete for the last spot, as of now.

But if the Cubs can land Lester, the rebuild immediately takes a dramatic step forward. Lester, along with Arrieta and Hendricks–should they repeat their 2014 numbers–could be one of the top three rotations in the league. Add a return to glory year for Wood, and decent No. 5 starter numbers from Wada, Turner or whoever wins the role and the Cubs could have a legitimate staff, top to bottom.

The secondary part of signing Lester becomes the domino effect to follow. With the numbers for Lester seemingly elevating each day, once he signs the bar is set for the remaining free agent pitchers. Numbers for all of them will change. If the Cubs were to land him–and the Hammel signing from yesterday added to that–one of the bats the Cubs have interest in may be pulled in that direction. David Ross from Boston is a perfect example. Chicago missed on Russell Martin, and now Miguel Montero‘s name has been tossed about. Ross would be a better financial fit, and was Lester’s catcher in Boston. See how all this is tying in?

Chemistry can be an overused term in professional sports. You can win without having it, especially if the talent level is high enough. But manager Joe Maddon has shown a knack for creating it in teams that aren’t necessarily the top-tier. And playing with guys you’re comfortable with, that can go along way to speed the winning process.

If the Cubs don’t win the battle for Lester, all is not lost. But 2015 expectations would change dramatically with him in Cubby blue.