John Lackey

Two former St. Louis Cardinals returned to Busch Stadium in Chicago Cubs uniforms Monday. One of them made an indelible impression in the Cubbies' 5-0 win.

The young, upstart Chicago Cubs have gotten a little longer in the tooth this offseason—and that's a good thing.

John Lackey showed he still has plenty left in the tank in his 13th full MLB season. The St. Louis Cardinals have moved on from him, though, so the veteran starting pitcher reportedly has opted to sign with their biggest rival, the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs missed out on Jordan Zimmermann. Then they whiffed on David Price. Now they need to go hard after Zack Greinke, right?

They just returned to relevance with a trip to the National League Championship Series, after all, and could use another starter (at least) to push them over the long-awaited championship hump. Heck, they proved their willingness to spend big on pitching last winter by handing a six-year, $155 million deal to Jon Lester.

John Lackey filled in fluidly for the St. Louis Cardinals when ace Adam Wainwright suffered an Achilles injury in early April.

Lackey is now a free agent after declining a $15.8 qualifying offer, and already teams are in pursuit of the 13-year veteran.

Continue for updates.

The Major League Baseball offseason can be as dramatic as the postseason—at least in most years, though this October is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory—providing thrills and heartache for fans and teams in their quests to build championship rosters.

In their first game of the 2015 postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals got a boost from two rookies and one guy who's being paid like a rookie.

The big difference, of course, is that the guy they're only paying like a rookie is 36 years old and is in the middle of what might be the finest season of a long, successful career.

Sasquatch hunters would lose their minds if they happened across Fenway Park. The men of the 2013 Boston Red Sox own some of the gnarliest beards in baseball, and it's about time we settle the argument of who has the best. 

I mean, seeing as how these players went through all of the trouble and weeks (hours when it comes to Jonny Gomes) to grow these things, we might as well judge them. 

From the scraggly to those who would make The Most Interesting Man in the World happy, we have you covered. 

The slumbering Boston Red Sox are now wide awake.  

Either that or they're faking it really well.

The Red Sox pounded out three straight wins over the Toronto Blue Jays behind excellent starting pitching, a barrage of hot hitting and a bullpen that has suddenly remembered how to not suck.

About time!

On Wednesday, I wrote that it was too early to leap off the bandwagon of the 2011 Red Sox. I still believe that—however, alarm bells have started to ring as the 0-6 Sox limp home to Fenway Park to face their hated rival, the New York Yankees.

The vaunted offense of the Sox has disappeared over the last four games.