SAN DIEGO (AP) ― Pitcher Jon Lester agreed Tuesday night to a $155 million, six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, a person familiar with the negotiations said, the first big deal of the offseason involving a top-level starting pitcher.

Lester’s contract contains an option for 2021 that, if it becomes guaranteed, would make the deal worth $170 million over seven seasons. The average annual value of $25.8 million is the second highest for a pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw’s $30.7 million as part of a $215 million, seven-year deal with the Dodgers that began this year.