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It's unlikely the Cubs will get the claim on Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury, but would Theo Epstein pursue them?

The Cubs are like the Dodgers in one sense -- they have a ton of payroll flexibility. They could play a role in helping the Red Sox blow up the team that Epstein put together there -- an act that must feel good to Larry Lucchino, who felt like an abandoned father when Epstein left for Chicago last fall. Lester and Ellsbury wouldn't be enough to make the Cubs competitive in the short run but they are both young enough that they could add to the options. The Cubs would face the choice of signing them long term -- in the belief that they would still be in their primes when the Cubs field a contender -- or trading them at some point for prospects with shelf life. It's one more thing to think about as we all keep one eye on Boston to see if the Dodgers' blockbuster is finalized.