When Theo Epstein took the reins of the Chicago Cubs in 2011, a plan was implemented immediately to build a franchise that would contend for World Series championships on an annual basis. This came to fruition through trades (Anthony Rizzo, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks), high-end draft picks (Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr.), and free agency (Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist, Yu Darvish).
While it’s still very much ongoing, we are all well aware of how this plan has worked out thus far (obligatory mention that the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, which people tend to forget).