Epstein: "It feels great to be a Cub”

Theo Epstein

After spending nearly 10 years with the Boston Red Sox, Theo Epstein was ready for a change and the Chicago Cubs presented him with that opportunity.

On Tuesday the Cubs introduced Epstein as their new president of baseball operations hoping he can do for them what he did for the Red Sox. Epstein managed to bring two World Series titles to Beantown in his time with his hometown team, ending an 86-year wait for a title in the process.

The Cubs have been waiting 103 years to win baseballs biggest prize and Epstein urged at his press conference that it will take time to build a winning team.

"To me, baseball is better with tradition, baseball is better with history, baseball is better with fans who care, baseball is better in ballparks like this, baseball is better during the day. And baseball is, best of all, when you win.

“I'm not saying the timetable is immediate. Over time, we'll get this thing done. It's not going to happen overnight. But we'll take every opportunity to win seriously,” Epstein said.

“I firmly believe that we can preserve the things that make the Cubs so special and over time build a consistent winner, a team that will be playing baseball in October consistently and a team that will ultimately win the World Series,” he said.

"I've waited a few weeks to say this, but it truly feels great to be a Cub today," Epstein said, who agreed to a five-year deal for a reported $18.5 million.

Asked whether he can replicate his success in Boston and win in Chicago, Epstein commented that with time and proper scouting he’s confident they can reach the top.

"We won't rest until there is a steady stream of talent. We're going to have to grind our way to the top.

"When I got to Boston they hadn't won in 86 years. We didn't run from that challenge. We embraced it. We decided the way to attack it was to build the best baseball operation that we could, to try to establish a winning culture, to work as hard as possible and to bring in players who care more about each other and more about winning than the people around them thought or the external expectations, the external mindset. That's something that is going to be important to us here as well.

“We're going to build the best baseball operation we can. We're going to change the culture. Our players are going to change the culture along with us in the major league clubhouse. We're going to make building a foundation for sustained success a priority. That will lead to playing October baseball more often than not. Once you get in in October there's a legitimate chance to win the World Series,” he added.

The Cubs have finished fifth in their division for the last two years and haven’t made it to the World Series since 1945.

Philip Wicinski