Epstein did say that LHPs in the 9 figure salary bucket have aged better than their RH counterparts. That and I think Verlander will bounce back with a couple more 4 WAR seasons. To add to that on the LHP front, I wonder if they don't view it as advantageous to have lefty starters in Wrigley. One of the first things they publicly pointed out when they took over was how Wrigley seemed to favor LH hitters. Not enough of a factor to have anything to do with a big ticket signing like this, but just something that came to mind. Maybe I'm reading that wrong, but wouldn't that mean we would want lhp to neutralize LH hitters?