Introduction of Joe Maddon Marks New Era in Cubs Baseball

Eleven years ago, when upstart general manager Theo Epstein was looking for the manager to end his Red Sox's 86-year World Series drought, he decided to bring in a longtime bench coach of the Anaheim Angels. His name was Joe Maddon. At the time, he was a 49-year-old thought to be ready to become one of the better managers in the game. 

Instead of hiring Maddon to end the curse, Epstein went with Terry Francona. That turned out pretty well for Boston. 

Now Epstein, who seems to be in the business of ending curses, has another team with a title drought that dates further back than the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. This time, he decided that Maddon was the man to do the job. 

The Cubs will introduce Maddon as the team's fourth manager in five years in a press conference on Monday, and that moment will mark a turning point in the Cubs rebuild. No longer are they building from the ground up. The framework is there now. All that's left to do is put in some nicer furniture to go with the collection of exciting appliances already in the organization.

What Maddon already has to work with, though, is why he was made the Cubs manager despite them already having one in place. Names like Baez, Soler, Bryant, Almora, Russell and Schwarber (and the list goes on) have to excite a manager known for grooming and connecting with young talent. 

He had a similar situation when he took over the Rays job in 2006. The team wasn't nearly as ready to win as the Cubs were but in his third year at the helm, the team won 97 games and reached the World Series. He sustained success there, winning 90-plus games in five seasons, reaching the playoffs four of those times.

And for all that's said about Rick Renteria being unfairly fired, it's true, he was fired despite performing well in his first year. However, as Epstein said in a press release, the team knew they had to put the overall effort of the rebuild ahead of any one person. 

After all, from the start the Cubs knew Renteria probably wasn't going to be their guy to help them compete for titles. Chicago is familiar with this situation. The Bulls were groomed and developed by head coach Doug Collins but could never get over the hump with Michael Jordan and Co. Then the team hired Phil Jackson and the rest, as they say, is history. 

The difference here is that Maddon doesn't have to win six championships like Jackson did in order to succeed in Chicago. All he has to win is one. 

Well-respected ESPN baseball writer Tim Kurkjian believes strongly that Maddon will be the team's manager when it finally breaks its now-106-year title drought. That's high praise from a guy who usually doesn't make bold statements like that.

Equipped with some of the best young talent in baseball and plenty of money to pull in top free agents this offseason and next, Maddon is in a pretty good spot in Chicago. While 2015 could be a surprising one for the Cubs if they're able to add a pitcher like Jon Lester, 2016 is a more realistic goal for competing for titles. 

By then, almost every young hitter in their system will be major league-ready. They will also have an additional offseason to add another quality arm to an already developing rotation. In Buster Olney's (ESPN Insider subscription required) opinion, the Cubs are a "monster that everyone else sees growing." 

Now it's Maddon's job to play Dr. Frankenstein. If he can put the finishing touches on the monster Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have been building for three seasons, he will be a legend in the profession. His experience with young rosters and his sabermetric attitude jell well with this team, so it's not unrealistic to expect that from the 60-year-old manager. 

Every Cubs fan has experienced a great deal of disappointment and heartbreak, but this move can represent a ray of hope for the future. In the very near future, the Cubs will not be content with saying "There's always next year." Instead, "next year" should be here by 2016 and based on the organizational infrastructure the team has built, "next year" could be here for quite some time.