Seeing as how negotiations between the Red Sox and Cubs dragged on worse than the American Idol auditions. I wasn’t sure when this post was going to get written. That said, the day we started to think would never get here, has finally come as it was announced in a joint press release of the Cubs and Red Sox that effective immediately, Theo Epstein is under the employ of the Chicago Cubs, with a press conference to follow on Tuesday, 10/25.
Most fans are genuinely excited to see Theo Epstein run the Cubs Front Office. Others, not so much. Is he the Cubs savior? Will he bring a World Series winner to the north side of Chicago for the first time in over a century? I don’t know, and neither do you, or anyone else. The facts: With Epstein in charge, the Cubs are in the best shape possible and likely are in better shape than they’ve been in for quite some time. Epstein is a proven talent evaluator who surrounds himself with a staff of baseball and stat smart individuals. He’s not Andy MacPhail, Lou Pinella or Dusty Baker. He’s also not the Cubs GM. Instead, he is their new President of Baseball Operations, with longtime friend Jed Hoyer assuming the role of GM and his assistant in San Diego, Jason McLeod, assuming the same role in Chicago.
Much has been said, about Epstein and his track record of poor free agent signings. I can’t bring myself to lay all of it at his feet, though. It’s not as if he was the only GM in baseball to throw large sums of money at guys like Carl Crawford and John Lackey. it just so happens he offered them either the most money or the best opportunity to win. If Crawford and Lackey bounce back for the remainder of their contracts, all will be forgiven in Red Sox Nation.
Don’t expect a “We’re All In” season right out of the gate for Epstein and the Cubs. If it happens and succeeds, fantastic. If not, well as a Cubs fan, I’m perfectly content with building up the organization from the bottom up to give us a team that’s consistently in contention.
As for myself, I am excited for the arrival of Theo Epstein and can’t wait to watch his tenure in Chicago unfold. Hopefully, one of the first things on his agenda, is sorting out the situation regarding the Cubs on-field manager.
