Rozner: With Lester, Epstein delivers in big way again

Theo Epstein doesn't know what he's doing.

He was lucky in Boston and sold the Cubs on a padded resume.

He hasn't done anything in Chicago, the Cubs are still terrible and the last straw is he didn't get enough for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. He gave them away, essentially, for nothing.

Yes, this was the ridiculous and shortsighted narrative on July 5 after Epstein first tried to sign Samardzija long-term and was then forced to move him early for the best package available.

Epstein got two huge prospects in return, Hammel is back as a free agent, Samardzija was dealt by Oakland to the White Sox for far less than the Cubs received, and the Cubs spent the money they saved on a signing bonus for Jon Lester.

This was the plan all along, and Epstein was painfully transparent about it. Rebuild the farm system, save money and put the Cubs in a position to compete for multiple World Series, not take one shot at a playoff run and then suffer for years with bad contracts.

In the meantime, he recognized the dearth of good bats, understood the expense, and went all in drafting monster offensive players.

And now here they are, three years in and the Cubs are on the verge of competing, albeit about a year sooner than they probably expected.

But Epstein is nothing if not a ruthless opportunist.

He didn't expect the Red Sox to butcher negotiations with Lester a year ago, but once they did he started planning.

He didn't expect a Rays swap meet, or Tampa to leave the team still wondering about a new stadium, leading Andrew Friedman to finally depart, thus opening the door for Joe Maddon. But once Friedman bolted, Epstein was ready to pounce on the best manager available.

He didn't expect the Cardinals to suffer a horrible tragedy with the death of Oscar Taveras, but the sad truth is the Cardinals had to deal pitching for Jason Heyward, a deal that weakens a division rival going forward.

All of these things moved up the Cubs' timetable in a matter of weeks and while the Cubs still have some holes to fill before they can seriously think about a playoff spot in 2015, they are moving closer every day to playing baseball at Wrigley Field worth paying to watch.

Lester was merely the right guy at the right time. If he hadn't been available, Epstein would not have spent such a considerable sum on just anyone. And though he knows this contract is likely to be a disaster on the back end - or possibly before if Lester gets hurt - he believed it was worth it if there's a World Series appearance in two or three years.

Either way, the Cubs can afford it, and with a roster of young and inexpensive players, even if the Lester contract looks bad a few years from now it will not hamstring the franchise. They will simply spend their way out of it, as the Yanks, Red Sox and Dodgers have done for years.

Epstein also knows the Cubs have work to do. There will be more additions and subtractions in the days ahead, and as of this writing only Welington Castillo and Starlin Castro remain from the 2011 roster that Epstein inherited.

One or both might be gone before the next trade deadline as Epstein continues to work toward meaningful September baseball.

The Cubs must still find a way to generate more runs, some of which will be provided by the young players already here and those on the way, but young players generally struggle and to think Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber will succeed immediately is unrealistic.

Those two could be exceptions to an age-old rule, but Epstein is preparing for it by searching for more bats right now.

In the meantime, a rotation that starts with Lester, Jake Arietta, Hammel and Kyle Hendricks is exciting for Cubs fans who have waited patiently - for the most part - through years of rebuilding to get to this point.

This is not yet a team that can win the World Series, but the foundation is being built and the light at the end of the tunnel no longer appears to be an oncoming train.

Players want to come here and it is because of Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon. It is because there is a future. It is because there is hope.

And on the 22nd anniversary of Greg Maddux signing with the Atlanta Braves, the Cubs added a legit ace to lead the staff.

He is not the final piece to the puzzle, but he is certainly a piece to celebrate.

And there is no need to remind Cubs fans that it's something that doesn't happen every day.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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