If the 3rd player is a pretty good prospect arm, the Cubs won this deal. They bought low on Olt and Edwards has the potential to be a very good pitcher. I believe the investment term for trying to buy low and finding out that it's nowhere near the ultimate low is "catching a falling knife," though someone with actual finances may have to corroborate.
You say that like it's a mark against him. If it's not what he wants, I don't want him to just settle because it's "close". I said it both ways. Personally, I find it to be a mark against him, but YMMV.
One thing I remember Boston fans saying is that Epstein really seems to revel in taking deals to the brink and then pulling the plug. Or, more charitably, he absolutely refuses to cave to the pressure of a nearly done deal.
The fundamental problem with defensive stats is that you can't really measure value and ability at the same time without sacrificing a ton of accuracy.
MLB already has revenue sharing in place in addition to the competitive balance picks. Which is why I used the qualifier "total." The system still benefits the Cubs far more than a totally balanced system would, even if our various owners have been bad at taking advantage of it.
I love that all these ignorant idiots get their shameful tweets put on permanent display on Deadspin for all to point at and mock If you're going to demand that someone speak English, spell "pastime" correctly.