Red Sox principal owner John Henry, in an exclusive interview with WEEI today, intimated that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein wouldn't be around forever because of the ongoing pressure in Boston.
The statement by Henry came in response to a question about whether the team would be willing to grant the Chicago Cubs permission to talk with Epstein after the team made a formal request to the Sox earlier this week. Henry did not answer directly about whether he had given the Cubs his consent.
Henry went on to say that Terry Francona was in a similar position, in that he likely would not have been around more than another year or two, regardless of the success of the team during Francona's tenure.
Rumors are swirling that Epstein does intend to leave for Chicago, providing the price is right. If that were to happen, it would likely set off a flurry of events that would lead to the 2012 Red Sox looking like a very different team than the one that closed the 2011 season with the worst collapse in baseball history.