Will Signing Albert Pujols Be Theo Epstein's No. 1 Priority as Chicago Cubs GM?

Earlier today, the Cubs made the announcement that they have added Theo Epstein as their general manager for the 2012 season.

It remains to be seen how much he will be given to spend this offseason, but he will no doubt be looking to make a splash in his first season in Chicago as he looks to turn the franchise around, and he certainly has a history of doing that.

When he took over the Red Sox prior to the 2003 season, they were coming off of a 93-69 season, but they had not been to the postseason since 1999 and had only been there four times since 1990.

A culture change was clearly needed, and he went to work immediately bringing in guys that fit what he wanted to do.

Before January of 2003 was over, Epstein had already added a trio of players who would make a huge impact on the team moving forward in reliever Mike Timlin, third baseman Bill Mueller and a underperforming slugger he took a chance on named David Ortiz.

He also added Bronson Arroyo and Kevin Millar before the season began, and while the team made the postseason, more work was needed, and he pushed the team over the top by trading for ace Curt Schilling and bringing manager Terry Francona aboard heading into 2004. The team responded with a World Series title, breaking the "Curse of the Bambino" in the process.

Looking to the Cubs' roster, Epstein is in a similar situation, as he will need to retool the team and change the overall attitude of the franchise. While adding a number of role players was his approach when he took over the Red Sox, he could look to add a superstar this time around.

The Cubs have a decent base of young players to build around, but he will also have to deal with the bloated contracts of Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, among others, and just how much financial freedom Epstein will have in his first season in Chicago will be interesting to see.

Many expected the Cubs to be in rebuilding mode this season and looking ahead to 2013, when they will shed the bulk of their veteran's contracts. However, that attitude could change now that Epstein is running the show, and that could put the Cubs' name into the Albert Pujols sweepstakes.

A player the caliber of Pujols has not hit the open market since Barry Bonds joined the Giants prior to the 1993 season, and with the Cardinals locking up Chris Carpenter and Lance Berkman for next year, it seems less and less likely he will be back in St. Louis.

When the Cubs dealt Derrek Lee at the deadline in 2010 and signed Carlos Pena to a one-year contract for 2011, it looked as though they were setting themselves up for a run at either Pujols or Prince Fielder. However, when the pitching staff struggled this season, many wondered if the Cubs would be better served spending "Pujols money" to shore up their staff.

While that may be the case, having a better pitching staff won't mean much if the Cubs can't score any runs, and with top run producer Aramis Ramirez heading for the open market, the Cubs have do not have a legitimate run producer on the roster.

Looking back to 2010, the Red Sox unloaded a handful of their top young talent to add first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to an already stocked lineup. So how desperate will Epstein be to add someone like Pujols to a lineup that pales in comparison to the one he had in Boston?

No one will deny that the Cubs need a starting pitcher or two, but coming from a dynamic offense like the Red Sox, you have to wonder if adding Albert Pujols will be priority No. 1 for Theo Epstein as he begins efforts to turn things around on the North Side.