Jon Lester’s new baseball card is weird on so many levels.
Topps just released its first (digital) baseball card featuring Lester as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Lester, of course, signed a six-year, $155 million contract with the Cubs earlier this offseason.
Now, we all knew this day would come. And the visual — Lester donning a Cubs hat — is nothing new, seeing as how the left-hander participated in an introductory press conference in which he tossed on his new duds. However, there’s still something strange about Lester not donning a Boston Red Sox jersey, even after him making 12 starts for the Oakland Athletics in 2014.
Perhaps the weirdest part of Topps’ new Lester card — aside from it being a digital card under the Topps “BUNT” brand — is that it’s part of a “Departures” set that features a player’s old logo beside his new logo, yet the Red Sox are nowhere to be found. It’s technically accurate given Lester’s short stint with Oakland, but it’s morally wrong, right?
Sure, Topps is simply following the book and implementing the same set of rules for everyone. So really, they can’t be blamed. It’s harsh reminder, however, that one of Boston’s hometown cornerstones isn’t walking through Fenway Park’s doors this winter despite the club’s effort to re-sign him.
Check out the new Lester card below. (h/t NBC Sports’ HardballTalk)
Photo via Twitter/@manuelfrias15
Thumbnail photo via Paul Beaty/The Associated Press
