SB Nation Boston - Theo Epstein Introduced As Cubs' President Of Baseball Operations

Theo Epstein's Departure From Boston Red Sox Partially Due To Terry Francona's

2011-10-25T19:41:20Z

After his introductory press conference with the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein told WEEI he might not have moved to Chicago if Terry Francona had remained the Boston Red Sox manager.

Epstein said that the decision to cut ties with manager Terry Francona after the season played a significant role in his decision to accept the job with the Cubs. He suggested that a managerial search led by him, entering his final year as Red Sox GM, would have been "awkward at best, disastrous at worst," and acknowledged that had Francona returned to the Sox for a ninth season, he "probably" would have remained with the Sox to conclude his contract.

Epstein declined to discuss whether he would hire Francona, since Mike Quade remains the Cubs GM, and will meet with Epstein in the coming days. However, Epstein did say that he has "a close personal relationship" and "a tremendous amount of personal respect" for Francona.

Epstein said he could not comment on the number of Red Sox employees he would bring with him to Chicago, but noted how important it was for new Sox GM Ben Cherington to have staff continuity.

"There's not going to be any raid," Epstein suggested.

After the way the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs, on the final night of the regular season, and Francona's departure that came shortly after, Epstein said he was initially too emotional to decide his future. After taking 72 hours to become more objective, he called his decision to join Chicago "well-reasoned."

Epstein said there was some truth to the reports of an unseemly Red Sox clubhouse last season, but "there was a lot of exaggeration, too." Epstein said he is ultimately responsible for any repeated misbehavior that took place in Boston's clubhouse, but noted that any incidents were "not team-wide indulgences. There was not team-wide apathy."

The Red Sox have seen their share of turmoil in the past weeks, but Epstein believes there is no better successor for him than new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington.

"Ben is more qualified than anyone in the game to take this job over," Epstein said. "I know I'm biased, because I'm a close, loyal friend, but he is really the best guy for the job."

The two met for the first time when Cherington was a scout, and after discussing organizational philosophies with Cherington, Epstein knew he needed Cherington in a bigger role.

"I realized we need this guy impacting the bigger picture of the organization," said Epstein. "So we moved him over to player development. He went on to become the farm director. He was as responsible as anybody for the great things that have happened in player development for the Red Sox. Then we realized that he would someday be a GM. We created a next step for him where he was in not only player development but also amateur scouting. He was involved in a couple great drafts. Then, as I realized my time might be coming to an end at some point with the Red Sox, we realized that Ben hadn't had the exposure to the major league side. The last couple years, he's immersed himself in the big league side.

"He's had such a well-rounded development. He's got so much integrity. He's so bright. He's got great management skills of people. This guy is going to do a fantastic job. I'm excited to see it happen. I wouldn't have left the Red Sox if he weren't the guy who was going to take over, and if I wouldn't have had assurance that there would be continuity with the whole baseball operations team."

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Ben Cherington Named New General Manager Of Boston Red Sox

2011-10-25T19:00:49Z

Ben Cherington, welcome aboard. Well, he's already been here, but welcome to a bigger role and more responsibility. Cherington was officially named the new general manager of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday morning and will succeed former GM Theo Epstein, who resigned and departed for the Chicago Cubs.

Cherington is very familiar with the Red Sox and the organization, considering he was the team's Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager to Epstein. Cherington also has experience handling the job of general manager for the Red Sox, as he and then assistant Jed Hoyer were the co-general managers when Epstein took a short leave.

Cherington is well suited for the position, graduating from Amherst College and receiving a Masters in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts. Cherington was first hired by the team back in 1997 by then general manager Dan Duquette.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

AUDIO: Theo Epstein's Cubs Presser

2011-10-25T17:20:22Z

Theo Epstein was officially introduced as the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday afternoon, taking time to thank the Cubs and Red Sox organizations and talking about the task ahead for him. Epstein's press conference can be heard below, courtesy of WEEI.

Watch this at WEEI

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Theo Epstein Introduced As Cubs' President Of Baseball Operations

2011-10-25T17:11:47Z

Theo Epstein was officially introduced as the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In his press conference, Epstein expressed his thanks to the Cubs owners and the entire Boston Red Sox organization, where he served as general manager for nine seasons.

"I've waited a few weeks to say this, but it truly feels great to be a Cub today," Epstein said, who agreed to a five-year deal for a reported $18.5 million. (via ESPN Boston)

Epstein went on to talk about how he alone will not be able to bring the Cubs their first World Series title in 103 years, instead pointing to the importance of teamwork, saying that bringing a championship back to Wrigley will take a team effort. Of course, Epstein knows it will not be any easy task, and noted that baseball is best when you're winning.

"Baseball is best of all when you win. That's why I'm here today," Epstein said, vowing to build a better scouting and farm system for the Cubs. "We won't rest until there is a steady stream of talent" coming to Wrigley Field from the minors. "We're going to have to grind our way to the top," he said.

Epstein brought two World Series titles to Boston, including the franchises' first in 86 years in 2004, during his tenure with the Red Sox. In addition, the Red Sox won 90 games or more in eight seasons under Epstein's guidance.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Report: Theo Epstein Arrives In Chicago

2011-10-24T23:31:45Z

After weeks of haggling between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, new Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has finally made it to the Windy City, according to a Monday afternoon report from the Chicago Tribune.

The report stated that the ex-Red Sox general manager met with Cubs owners at Wrigley Field before having lunch at a nearby restaurant with a group of Cubs baseball operations staffers that included Randy Bush, Oneri Fleita, Chuck Wasserstrom, Jimmy Bank, Ari Kaplan and Scott Nelson.

Epstein will return to Wrigley Field at 11 a.m. Tuesday for his introductory news conference, which can be watched live online at www.chicagotribune.com/sports. The conference will be held even though the two teams have not yet decided what the Cubs will send the Red Sox as compensation for Epstein. The teams released a joint statement Friday night saying they "have reached an agreement regarding a process by which appropriate compensation will be determined for the Red Sox and that issue will be resolved in the near term."

Though a deal has not yet been ironed out, commissioner Bud Selig told CSNNE.com Sunday that he would set the terms of compensation if the two teams did not do so themselves before Nov. 1.

"They have until Nov. 1 -- Theo and (new Red Sox GM) Ben (Cherington) and all the other parties involved," Selig said. "Hopefully they can get things done. I always encourage clubs to try to get things done between themselves. Somehow, the commissioner has enough things of controversy (to deal with).

"They'll either get it done or they won't. If they don't, then I will."

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Theo Epstein To Cubs: Bud Selig Sets Nov. 1 Deadline For Compensation

2011-10-24T14:48:19Z

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is putting his foot down in the Theo Epstein saga. Selig set a November 1 deadline for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs to work out compensation for Epstein, who recently resigned his post as general manager of the Red Sox to become the President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs.

Selig said that if the two teams can't work out a deal by then, he will have to step in.

"They have until Nov. 1, Theo and Ben and all the other parties involved," Selig said, according to Comcast Sports Net New England. "Hopefully they can get things done. I always encourage clubs to try to get things done between themselves. Somehow, the commissioner has enough things of controversy [to deal with].  ... They'll either get it done or they won't. If they don't, then I will." (via WEEI)

Epstein is set to be introduced by the Cubs in a press conference in Chicago on Tuesday.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Theo Epstein Resigns As Red Sox General Manager, Will Join Cubs On Tuesday

2011-10-22T02:36:09Z

According to a joint press release by the Cubs and Red Sox Friday night, Theo Epstein has resigned as Boston's general manager and will be introduced as the new President of Baseball Operations in Chicago on Tuesday. The Red Sox' new GM--by all accounts Ben Cherington--will be introduced at the same time in Boston.

The upshot of all this is simply that a deadline and process for agreement has been set. There is still no deal on compensation, and the Cubs and Sox will be left to hash out the details, likely with Theo and Cherington at opposite ends of the bargaining table as it should be.

If no agreement can be reached by Tuesday, presumably there's an agreement on what will happen then. It's quite possible that this will mean Bud Selig's intervention as an arbitrator, but one would hope that's as a result of an invitation from the team. There's dangerous precedent, after all, in the commissioner of baseball forcing himself into the middle of what is essentially a trade negotiation.

One way or another, this long, convoluted process is finally nearing its end.

Theo Epstein Deal Nearing Completion, "Top Prospects" Not Involved

2011-10-20T15:13:05Z

A report from ESPN.com says that the Red Sox and Cubs have agreed on compensation for Theo Epstein, and that the deal will be officially announced Friday.

While it comes a bit later than Bud Selig would have liked--the World Series will be two games in by that point, and it's likely because of the off-day that this deal is being announced on Friday--the Cubs and Sox have come a long way in just a few days, closing a gap in expectations which had the Cubs front office balking (in a non-baseball sense).

What's still unclear is who, exactly, will be joining the Red Sox before the week ends. While the Sox had been asking for Matt Garza, and the idea with the most steam for much of the week seemed to be 22-year-old pitching prospect Trey McNutt, the ESPN source claims that's off the table:

the expected agreement will include Cubs minor leaguers, although not top prospects Brett Jackson, Trey McNutt and Matt Szczur

If this is the case, it's hard to see this as much of a win for the Red Sox. While they did know that Theo Epstein would be leaving at the end of 2012 no matter what, it seems like the Sox were in a position to hold out on the Cubs until desperation set in. It's hard to imagine that this package of supposedly middling prospects--whoever they may be--is worth the potential that they could have acquired a top name with more time.

Also joining the Cubs will be former second-in-command Jed Hoyer, who only two years ago jumped ship from the Sox to become the Padre's GM. With Theo Epstein likely to take a higher position, Hoyer would fill the role of GM for Chicago.