CHICAGO – For anyone hoping the 2012 season represented the low point for baseball on the North Side, there are no such guarantees during a massive rebuilding process.

The Cubs’ 101-loss season, their first over 100 since 1966, is a painful reminder of how far the organization is from fielding a competitive team. This isn’t a franchise that’s one or two moves away from playing .500 ball let alone contend for the playoffs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein acknowledged as much Thursday at Wrigley Field.

“I don’t know what that timetable is going to be,” Epstein said. “ … I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Don’t worry about 101 losses because we have a magic plan to win a World Series in 2013, it’s gonna happen, so be there now.’ That’s not the case. I think we’re trying to communicate that there is a plan, there is a vision.”