Reactions to Windy City moves made at the Winter Meetings (updated with Lester signing)

SAN DIEGO - The headlines after the second day of baseball's Winter Meetings have been going through the Windy City. The Chicago White Sox and Cubs are making all the news. The fans in Chicago need some relief. Each team won 73 games last season and finished 17 games out. The White Sox were fourth in the American League Central, the Cubs last in the National League Central. The White Sox acquired Jeff Samardzija in a trade from Oakland and signed closer David Robertson to a four-year, $40 million deal. Reaction: The White Sox, who also signed former National Adam LaRoche to play first base, are filling holes with solid players, but there are still questions. Is Samardzija, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and a slumping John Danks enough of a rotation to challenge Detroit and Kansas City in the AL Central? ... Robertson is a flame-thrower who had 96 strikeouts and 39 saves in 64 1/3 innings with the Yankees in 2014. He's a plus to a bullpen that had too much youth and not enough healthy bodies. But overall, he lacks experience. Could this contract go the way of Jonathan Papelbon, who didn't work out well in Philadelphia? ... The White Sox need LaRoche's left-handed bat, but will there be an adjustment curve going to the AL? How will he or Jose Abreu, the AL's Rookie of the Year, handle DH/first base duties? Headline: The Cubs acquired catcher Miguel Montero from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Reaction: The Cubs are building fast and expectations to contend in the NL Central are there. The Cubs lost out on another catcher, free agent Russell Martin, who left Pittsburgh and signed with Toronto. But Montero, a left-handed batter, is a good fit and the Cubs will be paying most of the $40 million left on the three years left on his contract. Montero was an All-Star in 2011 when he hit .282. Last year, he hit .243. He's got potential for double-digit home runs, but if the Cubs don't trade Wellington Castillo, it is likely the two will platoon. In addition to being in on Jon Lester, the Cubs are also looking for a contact-hitting left fielder. That means Nori Aoki could be going to the North Side as well. For the Diamondbacks, the deal was about reducing payroll. They picked up two prospects in the trade. Headline: Lefty Francisco Liriano signs a three-year $39 million contract to stay with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reaction: This is an unexpected move by the team - a record amount the Pirates have paid to a free agent - so Pittsburgh fans should be happy. The general consensus was that the Pirates would look at the inexpensive route to fix their rotation. Getting Liriano, who was sought by a number of teams, means that his good friend and fellow staff ace, Edinson Volquez, might think about re-signing with the Pirates. For now, the Pirates rotation has Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Jeff Locke, Vance Worley and A.J. Burnett. Headline: The Cubs sign lefty pitcher Jon Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract. Reaction: The rebuilding Cubs were thought to be contenders in 2016 or 2017, but hiring Joe Maddon as their manager and signing Lester means that process has been put on the fast track and they could be in the postseason in 2015. The key to the Cubs is that their nucleus of young players will all grow. The Cubs are ready to win now and Lester would love to be part of a team that wins a World Series for the first time since 1908. In 2004, Lester helped the Red Sox end an 86-year World Series title drought when Boston beat St. Louis. Lester throws a fastball and slider and will be part of a rotation that includes the emerging Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and Jacob Turner. Suffice to say, the Cubs need one more pitcher. Lester considered the Giants and Red Sox and those teams will have to turn to free agent Max Scherzer and James Shields, as well as possibly trading for Philadelphia lefty Cole Hamels.