Theo Epstein to Cubs: Ranking His 10 Greatest Moves as Boston Red Sox GM

With the announcement coming that Theo Epstein will be joining the Cubs as their General Manager this coming season, it is time to reflect back on his nine-season stint with the Red Sox.

Epstein took the reins in Boston on November 25th, 2002 and immediately set to work turning the underperforming, overpaid Red Sox roster into a winning team. Two years later he was hoisting the World Series trophy thanks in part to the moves he made shaping the team into his own.

So here is a look at the 10 best moves that Epstein made in his time with the Red Sox, an assortment of trades, draft picks and free-agent signings.

Honorable Mention: Hired Terry Francona in 2004

While not technically a player move, the signing of Terry Francona prior to the 2004 season deserves some mention as the firing of Grady Little following his questionable pitching decisions against the Yankees in the playoffs could have set in motion a sharp decline by the Red Sox.

Instead, the team gelled immediately under Francona and he would go on to post a 744-553 record in his eight seasons with the team, making the postseason five times and winning it all in 2004 and 2007.

No. 10: Selected Bronson Arroyo off Waivers on February 4th, 2003

Generally players picked up on waivers in the offseason make little impact, as the fact that they were waived means the team could find absolutely no one willing to trade for that player, so when Epstein claimed 25-year-old right-hander Bronson Arroyo from the Pirates nothing was expected.

In three seasons with the Pirates, Arroyo made 53 appearances, including 29 starts, and posted a record of 9-14 with a 5.44 ERA.

After appearing in six games as a reliever for Boston in 2003, he joined the rotation in 2004 and went 10-9 with a 4.03 ERA and helped the team in the postseason as well making two starts and four relief appearances on their way to a title.

He went 14-10 the following season and looked to be coming into his own when he was dealt to the Reds for Wily Mo Pena in one of the least-wise moves that Epstein made.

No. 9: Signed Hideki Okajima on November 30th, 2006

The offseason heading into the 2007 season was a big one for the Red Sox as they acquired Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka and the media circus that came along with him.

However, in a significantly more under-the-radar move the team also added his countryman Hideki Okajima on a two-year, $2.5 million deal.

He broke camp with the team, and became the team's most trusted setup man appearing in 66 games and posting a 2.22 ERA with five saves over 69 innings of work to make the All-Star team and finish sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

In his first four seasons with the team, he averaged 64 appearances a year and posted a 3.06 ERA and while he fell off this past season, the team more than got their money's worth out of the deal.

No. 8: Signed Bill Mueller on January 10th, 2003

At the time of his signing, not much was made of Bill Mueller joining the Red Sox as he was coming off of a .262-BA, seven-HR, 38-RBI season and the team already had an All-Star third baseman in Shea Hillenbrand.

However, Mueller hit his way into the lineup and the team eventually traded Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks for Byung-Hyun Kim and gave the job to Mueller full-time.

He rewarded the Red Sox for their confidence in him by hitting .326 BA, 19 HR, 85 RBI and capturing the AL batting title. While he did not match those numbers he was solid over the final two years of his contract and in the end was a steal for three years, $6.7 million.

No. 7: Purchased Kevin Millar on February 15th, 2003

Coming off of a four-season run with the Marlins in which he averaged a line of .295 BA, 15 HR, 63 RBI it was clear that Kevin Millar had something to bring to a contender.

Millar had his contract sold to the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League prior to the 2003 season, but in an unprecedented move Epstein blocked the sale by putting a waiver claim in on Millar.

He joined the Red Sox, and while his production was similar to the numbers he put up in Florida he immediately became a clubhouse leader with his "Cowboy Up" rally cry and in 2004 he was the face of the self-proclaimed "idiots."

No. 6: Selected Jacoby Ellsbury in First Round of 2005 MLB Draft

The ascent of Jacoby Ellsbury to the major leagues was a rapid one, as he spent just a season-and-a-half in the minors before earning a call-up at the end of the 2007 season.

Once there, Ellsbury hit .353 BA, three HR, 18 RBI in just 33 games and forced his way onto the postseason roster and he would eventually hit .438 with three RBI in the World Series.

Following that audition, Ellsbury struggled to live up to expectations in the seasons to come until this past season when he exploded for a .321-BA, 32-HR, 105-RBI, 39-SB season that could end in an AL MVP.

No. 5: Traded for Adrian Gonzalez on December 6th, 2010

A former No. 1 overall draft choice of the Marlins in 2000, it took Gonzalez a few stops before he found an everyday job with the Padres.

Once settled in there, he emerged as one of the best sluggers in all of baseball although it went largely unnoticed playing in San Diego. With his contract due to expire at the end of 2011, the Padres put him on the block last offseason and Epstein jumped at the opportunity to add him.

Immediately signed to an extension through 2018, Gonzalez proved his worth in his first season in Boston with a line of .338 BA, 27 HR, 117 RBI and still just 29 years old, he should continue to produce at that level for seasons to come.

No. 4: Selected Dustin Pedroia in Second Round of 2004 MLB Draft

The Red Sox did not have a first-round draft pick in the 2004 draft, with their first pick coming in the second round at 65th overall.

With that pick, the team selected an undersized but productive shortstop from perennial baseball power Arizona State University named Dustin Pedroia.

He was moved to second base for the 2005 season, and was in the majors for a cup of coffee by the end of the 2006 season.

From there he won the second base job out of camp in 2007, eventually taking home AL Rookie of the Year honors. He followed that up with the opposite of a sophomore slump as he took home AL MVP honors in his second big league season and since he has remained one of the most productive second basemen in all of baseball.

No. 3: Traded for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell on November 24th, 2005

Heading into the 2006 season, the Red Sox desperately needed to add a frontline starter and a third baseman and they knocked out two birds with one stone when they snagged Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the constantly cost-cutting Marlins.

It cost them uber-prospect Hanley Ramirez, who has since blossomed into a star in Florida, but without the postseason heroics of Beckett and Lowell it is unlikely that the Red Sox win it all in 2007, so in the end this is the rare deal that benefited both sides.

No. 2: Traded for Curt Schilling on November 28th, 2003

The Red Sox trotted out more or less the same team in 2004 as they did in 2003, with the biggest difference being the addition of right-hander Curt Schilling and he was enough to put the team over the top and win it all.

Epstein gave up what looked to be a lot at the time in pitching prospects Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa and Michael Goss. However, in hindsight the fact that no one from that group panned out for the Diamondbacks makes the deal look even better.

In his first season in Boston Schilling was dominant, going 21-6, with a 3.26 ERA and 203 K's to finish second in AL Cy Young voting. He then went 3-1 in the postseason, pitching the legendary "Bloody Sock" game against the Yankees in the ALCS.

No. 1: Signed David Ortiz on January 22nd, 2003

After a season in which he hit just .203 against left-handed pitching and only .240 with runners in scoring position, the Twins were looking to move DH David Ortiz before the 2003 season began.

While those peripherals don't look good, he did finish the season with a respectable line of .272 BA, 20 HR, 75 RBI. Despite that, there were no takers for Ortiz on the trade market, and the team instead released him on December 16th, 2002.

With starting DH Brian Daubach departing in free agency, Epstein took a chance on Ortiz with a one-year, $1.25 million contract.

He rewarded them with a .288-BA, 31-HR, 101-RBI season, and he would go on to be instrumental in the team's 2004 and 2007 World Series titles, developing into one of the best clutch hitters in all of baseball.