The Theo Epstein era has officially begun in Chicago. This afternoon, the former general manager of the Red Sox was introduced as the new president of baseball operations of the Cubs. The Cubs will pay Epstein between $15 and $18.5 million over five years for his services.
This announcement was made possible Friday, when Epstein stepped down as the GM of the Red Sox. Rumors and speculation surrounded Epstein for weeks, but much was made clear with the 37-year-old’s resignation. The news conference was set for today and Cubs’ fans finally had a date for when the official Epstein-frenzy would begin in Chicago.
Chicago made it possible for its fans to purchase Epstein jerseys sporting the number 12. No, Epstein did not already ship Alfonso Soriano out of town. Instead the 12 represents the hopes that the Cubs improvement will begin next season, in 2012.
While this reaction may seem to be a bit much for a general manager, Epstein is no ordinary GM. After taking over the Red Sox in 2002, the “Boy Wonder” brought two world championships to Boston. Epstein made them a contender year in and year out, not only by throwing money at players but by also rebuilding the club’s Minor League system.
Now that Epstein has decided to take his talents to Wrigley, Cubs’ fans are hoping that this past success will also travel with him. Chicago is a team with several bad contracts and a weaker than average farm, so Epstein will certainly have his work cut out for him.
To help with challenge, Epstein is recruiting his former assistants; current general manager and assistant GM of the San Diego Padres, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod. San Diego has already given the Cubs permission to interview Hoyer and McLeod, and the two have indicated their interest in joining Epstein in Chicago.
Once that is finalized, Epstein’s next decision will be regarding his coaching staff. Manager Mike Quade’s future with the club is uncertain, and Epstein said he will be sitting down with the skipper in the near future to compare visions for the organization.
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