Ranking the 10 best Chicago Cubs moves during the Theo Epstein era

Theo Epstein served as the Chicago Cubs' President of Baseball Operations for nine years, when his shot-calling sparked a historic era in the organization's history.

Epstein took over two years after ownership of the Cubs transferred from the Tribune Company to the Ricketts Family. He was brought in after transforming the Boston Red Sox franchise into a perennial contender, and his talents yielded similar results in Chicago.

He did the right thing by immediately commencing a full rebuild, which lasted multiple years, and saw many fan-favorites of yesteryear, like Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano, depart the franchise. But the draft picks, free agent signings, and trades that he proceeded to make established a powerhouse playoff contender and eventual World Series championship, the first in 108 years. Here are his 10 best moved ranked from worst to best.

10. Signing John Lackey

Heading into the 2016 season, the Cubs were looking to beef up a starting rotation that already featured Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta, the latter of whom was coming off one of the best seasons in team history. They opted for 37-year-old John Lackey, who was coming off a career year (2.77 ERA) with the St. Louis Cardinals. The two-year pact ended up being Lackey's swan song in MLB and it couldn't have worked out better.

Lackey proved to have plenty left in the tank when he came to Chicago. In what was, in many ways, a truly remarkable 2016 season, Lackey contributed to a starting rotation that simply dominated the league. His impressive 3.35 ERA and 2.9 bWAR both somehow only ranked fourth among the team's starters that year. Hendricks (2.13) led the league in the ERA statistic and Lester (2.44) turned in a masterclass season.

All five men, including Jason Hammel and Arrieta, also remained astonishingly healthy throughout the season, with each one making at least 29 starts. This production was one of the many reasons the Cubs cruised to a National League Central Division title and into the playoffs. And Lackey certainly did his part, with 188.1 innings pitched and 180 strikeouts.

Signing Lackey also benefitted the Cubs in other ways. He gave the Cubs a veteran gamer with robust postseason experience and a winning attitude. His intense personality and occasional bursts of outrage gave a relatively young team an edge and fans even more reason to keep their eyes glued to the North Side of Chicago. Poaching him from the rival Cardinals, especially after Lackey dominated the Cubs in the 2015 NLDS, was just icing on the cake.

9. The Miguel Montero trade

Miguel Montero served as the Cubs' main catcher in 2015 and 2016. As a hitter, Montero was slightly above league average in 2015 (107 wRC+). But he did not put up flashy numbers in 2016 with a .216/.327/.357 slash line and an 83 wRC+.

Montero's real value came from his abilities behind the dish. He anchored the Cubs during a two-year period where Chicago's pitching staff ranked first in ERA (3.26), second in Fangraphs WAR (41.8), and third in FIP (3.53). Montero also has a knack for coming up big in clutch moments, like his thunderous grand slam against the Dodgers in the 2016 NLCS. Or the vital insurance run he drove in during game 7 of the World Series.

These moments made Montero an integral part of the World Series-winning team and Epstein didn't have to give up much to acquire for the catcher. Minor Leaguers Zack Godley and Jeferson Mejia were sent to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Montero in 2014. Godley had two good seasons in Arizona and ultimately only made 89 starts before retiring while Mejia never made his MLB debut.