Theo Epstein Gets to Work With Cubs, Signs David DeJesus to Two-Year Deal

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Dec 2, 2011

Theo Epstein Gets to Work With Cubs, Signs David DeJesus to Two-Year DealTheo Epstein got his manager a couple of weeks back, and now he's wading into the free-agent pool, making his first splash as Cubs president. 

The Cubs inked outfielder David DeJesus to a two-year deal on Wednesday, marking the first player-related move in Epstein's and new general manager Jed Hoyer's reign on the North Side of Chicago.

The 31-year-old outfielder represents more of a value signing for the Cubs and Epstein, even as they've been linked to some of the biggest names on the market, including Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

"There always are going to be things said about the Cubs because we're a big-market club and there's always a lot of interest, and we're thrilled about that," Epstein said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"If there's not much going on, or if the information is not readily available, there's going to be more speculation. That comes with the territory."

While the DeJesus signing may not come with the fanfare that a blockbuster free agent may bring, the signing represents the type of player that Epstein and new manager Dale Sveum are trying to bring in to help change the culture of the Cubs.

"The totality of their contributions can be equal to or more than the player who does one thing extremely well — if a guy is going to hit 25-30 home runs but really hurts you in other areas," Epstein said of players like DeJesus. "If we have a club full of well-rounded players, we're going to far exceed expectations because the solo contributions really add up."

DeJesus played 131 games last season in Oakland after playing his first eight seasons in Kansas City. The outfielder hit just .240 in 2011, but he does have a career .284 batting average to go along with a .356 on-base percentage.

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