Bryant would become the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year award winner in 2014. Drafting Bryant was a hit for the Epstein regime. On June Sixth, 2013, the Cubs Selected Kris Bryant with the second overall pick in the draft. In 2013, the Cubs and Rizzo agreed to a seven-year 41 million dollar extension, which was paramount in the Cubs later free agent success. Rizzo is the star player who started this rebuild, giving the Cubs a young, controllable star.

The two players the Cubs traded away combined for a WAR of 7.2 from 2012 to 2016. Starting from his debut with the Cubs in 2012 to the 2016 World Series Championship, Rizzo had a combined 18.8 Wins Above Replacement(According to Fangraphs). Rizzo is seen, by most, as the leader and captain of the team. Since becoming a Cub, Rizzo has become a three-time Gold Glover, a three-time NL All-Star, and a World Series Champion. In January of 2012, the Cubs sent Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Min Na to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Zach Cates and Anthony Rizzo. Next, we will discuss the biggest acquisitions made by Epstein’s regime since he took over in 2011: 2: Acquisition of Anthony Rizzo Epstein traded for, drafted, or signed a whopping 24 of the 25 rostered players for the 2016 World Series. To create a World Series caliber roster, Epstein had to hit on players in the draft, free agency, and via trade, and Epstein did just that. The combination of this 2011 September collapse and a 2010 season that failed to produce a playoff appearance for the Red Sox, ultimately led to Theo Epstein becoming available for the Cubs to hire.Īfter being named President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs, Epstein immediately started making impact moves. At the end of the season, the Red Sox found themselves seven games back and third in the division. To start September of 2011, the Red Sox had a nine-game division lead. This hire likely does not happen if the Red Sox did not have an epic collapse in September of 2011, the final month of Epstein’s tenure as Red Sox general manager.

In October of 2011, the Cubs hired Theo Epstein away from the Boston Red Sox.

2016 world series baseball schedule