Chicago.Cubs.MLB.com

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have the pitching. On Tuesday, they improved their defense and added a power bat by acquiring Derrek Lee from the Florida Marlins in exchange for Hee Seop Choi and a minor league player to be named later.

"We build our ballclub around our quality pitching," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "Besides the bat, the Gold Glove to me is very important. We've tried to go about our business to get better defensively."

Lee, 28, batted .271 for the world champion Marlins with 31 homers, 21 stolen bases and 92 RBIs, posting the first 20-20 season of his career. He won his first Gold Glove this season, making five errors in 155 games.

"He's a 30-plus home run guy and we think there's even more there," Hendry said. "He's kind of blossomed into stardom. He's the best fielding first baseman in the league. He's a tremendous makeup guy. He's coming off the ultimate, winning the world championship."

Lee also collected an eighth-inning, two-run double off Prior in Game 6 to tie the game at 3-3, and hit an RBI single in the fifth inning of Game 7 en route to the Marlins' decisive 9-5 victory.

Game 6 of the NLCS is still fresh in Lee's mind.

"In that game, it seemed like all the momentum was on their side and Prior was pitching so well," Lee said. "The character of our team was just to not give up."

He is very familiar with the Cubs' lineup.

"With their pitching and some of the guys they have in the lineup, they're right there," Lee said of the Cubs. "Obviously, I saw it firsthand in the LCS. I think all the pieces are there."

Lee should fit well in the mix. A right-handed hitter, he has a career .264 average and has hit at least 20 homers in each of his last four seasons. He also has 40 steals over the last two years, the most by any Major League first baseman. But his speed is not what is most attractive to the Cubs.