The Philadelphia Phillies are finally active in the rumor mill, as they are reportedly looking to bring in Theo Epstein.
It was what passes for news during the Philadelphia Phillies front office hibernation of 2020, which will likely snore into ’21 in about seven weeks. A Nov. 17 tweet by a writer in Chicago indicated the Phils would “aggressively” pursue out-going Cubs President Theo Epstein. Epstein’s last day with the Small Bears is Nov. 20.
So, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for the Fightin’s? Epstein, the savior of the two most snake-bit baseball clubs of the twentieth century, will save the third most snake-bit? Or wait – maybe he’s already saved the first and third most jinxed, with the Phillies second, because they took 97 years to win their first World Series….
Whatever. If Epstein could bring another title to Philly after that massive commitment of funds to Bryce Harper, he would surely cement his place in Cooperstown. (He’s probably a lock already.)
The problem is Epstein’s declaration that he’s taking what young elites call a gap year – in his mid-forties. And that declaration seems to be fairly definitive.
“I do plan on having a third chapter leading a baseball organization someday, though I do not expect it to be next year,” he wrote in a letter to friends about stepping down. But the lead-in to that statement was: “Next summer will be my first in 30 years not clocking into work every day at a major league ballpark.” Concrete stuff.
Epstein expects to spend time with his family and work with non-profits.
So, what are the Phillies chances of landing him for 2021? And if not for next season, would their fans have enough patience to wait on a chance for him in 2022?
What happens if Epstein is having too much fun with his family and decides he needs a second gap year?
The cynic will assert the young executive is just creating demand for his services. A pragmatist might suggest he can take time off and maintain his value with his feet up for the uncertain coming MLB season. The Phillies fan grits his teeth and says, “Theo Epstein can’t pitch or hit, and the only thing this team has done so far about improving themselves is release a bunch of guys who needed to disappear and acquire two guys who might be double-A talents.”
And that fan might add, “Now you want to hire a guy who doesn’t even want to work next year?”
As for any actual relationship to Epstein, the Phillies have again sent out the crickets to comment. On Nov. 18 the team website featured one article on their consideration of front office personnel changes, and that was five days old. It focused vaguely on some preliminary thinking allegedly done, alluded to interviews in the week of Thanksgiving, and broke the news the team is “considering ‘rising front-office stars,’” as well as the ever-present “people with proven, winning track records.”
It wasn’t clear if the Venn diagram there involved one or two circles.
Right now, as Philadelphia prepares to seriously lock down again – maybe until baseball is available again on TV – the Phils would garner far more praise for re-signing J.T. Realmuto or Didi Gregorius than for signing Theo Epstein.
A motivated Epstein would be grand. In the meantime, the Phillies need to see immediately above, or find some relief pitchers.