Epstein told Rizzo he would reacquire him after dealing him from Red Sox

Theo Esptein kept his word. Sort of.

Back in 2010, Anthony Rizzo, then considered a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization, was shipped to the San Diego Padres in a five-player deal for All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

But Epstein, Boston's general manager at the time, took the rising star aside and vowed they would cross paths again in the future - a promised that materialized two years later when Epstein, now the president of the Chicago Cubs, reacquired his former player from San Diego.

"I had angst about (trading Rizzo) as we were doing it. I told Rizz we were going to trade back for him at some point - and we did," Epstein told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "I just happened to be in a different organization."

Both the Red Sox and Cubs would benefit from the deals involving Rizzo. In 2013, the Red Sox won their third World Series title in 10 seasons, while Rizzo emerged as a face of the Cubs team that finally ended a 108-year championship drought in November.

Still, the 27-year-old wasn't shy about showing his gratitude toward the team that selected him in the sixth round in 2007.

"The Red Sox drafted me and it was an historic franchise. Little did I know it would be such an amazing franchise as far as the way I was instructed and the way I was treated. I'm glad I got my start there," Rizzo told Speier. "From time to time, I do (think about the Red Sox). I enjoyed my time there. That organization taught me a lot.

"But now I just watch them on TV, that's really it."