Max Scherzer and Jon Lester might as well have neon-green dollar signs stamped all over their uniforms and caps when spring training opens next week. Theo Epstein, the Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations who signed Lester, likens these megadeals to a ''splurge on a luxury item,'' baseball's equivalent of a Birkin bag or vintage Ferrari. Usually there are only 10 to 12 of these in the game, and they give you something that no one else has,'' said agent Scott Boras, who negotiated the deals for Kevin Brown, Barry Zito and Scherzer. ''A lot of teams have a lot of pitchers, but few teams have a true No. 1.'' Only three pitchers have won World Series rings after signing nine-figure contracts: CC Sabathia with the New York Yankees, and Zito and Matt Cain with the San Francisco Giants.