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It appeared as though 39-year-old pitcher John Lackey was ready to hang up his cleats and ride off into the sunset following the 2017 season, but according to MLB insider Jon Heyman that’s not the case.
Lackey, who pitched for the Chicago Cubs the past two seasons, plans to continue his career in 2018.
sources: john lackey intends to pitch in 2018. not retiring.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 8, 2017
He’s now a free agent after his two-year contract with the Cubs expired and without a qualifying offer extended to him by the Cubs, Lackey is well on his way to sign somewhere else.
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Lackey made 59 starts in two years with the Cubs, recording a 3.94 ERA. He also made three starts in the 2016 postseason, when the Cubs won the World Series, but the veteran pitcher was relegated to a bullpen role in the 2017 playoffs.
Does Lackey have much left? His 2017 season was a tale of two halves, posting a 3.75 ERA in 14 games after the All-Star Game. That followed a horrible first half, which saw Lackey give up a .264 batting average and 5.20 ERA. There was also the home run issue, as Lackey surrendered 36 home runs, most in the National League. Juiced balls or not, that was awful.
And for anyone asking why Lackey isn’t retiring yet? He has the rings, he has the money, but who wouldn’t want to make more money? This free agent class isn’t filled with many great starting pitchers, so maybe Lackey thinks he can get one more payday. He’s stayed relatively healthy, only having two disabled list stints in the last two years, while pitching 188.1 innings and 170.2 innings in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Back to the Cubs, though? Not gonna happen.
