Theo Epstein to the Cubs?

[kbsooner21]

[wayne1218]

It's gonna happen kb. No doubt in my mind!

[The Lovedoc]

No way that happens.. He is GOD in Boston.. They wont let him go

[wayne1218]

I think he would be good for the Cubs but i am more than willing to see him go .... I think many up here are. Terry was a much tougher loss than Theo would be.

[BettorsChat]

How did Epstein come about getting the GM job? I know that they wanted Billie Beane and he said yes then said no. Epstein getting a GM job at 28. What did he do prior to this?

[wayne1218]

ben charrington has been the assistant GM in Boston and he has been there 1 or 2 years longer than Theo. He is another young guy that i think will slide right in to the GM Role and not miss a beat.

The Cubs want theo to do many things, including adding revenue from added seats and sponsorship, just like in Boston. Problem is, in Chicago, those sponsorship revenues are much tougher to get in with the laws. New ownership believes adding things like Boston did with seats on the monster and right field roof are all things Wrigley could add in different areas too.

[wayne1218]

Theo would have to work with a much smaller budget too so it would be interesting to see how he would do. Word has it Ricketts doesn't want to exceed the $125 they were at and would like to cut it a little if possible. Contracts like Soriano will make that tough though.

[wayne1218]

I'm hearing about 5 years and $15 million for him in Chicago.

[10DimeBry]

I think he would be good for the Cubs but i am more than willing to see him go .... I think many up here are. Terry was a much tougher loss than Theo would be.

agree 1000% Francona is a far bigger loss than theo would be.
heck with Terry gone why not just start fresh with a new GM and manager. Then get rid of some of the players and be ready for 2012

[kbsooner21]

Does Francona become manager if Theo takes the gm job?

[wayne1218]

Does Francona become manager if Theo takes the gm job?

No Way IMO. There was some tension reported there .......

[wayne1218]

agree 1000% Francona is a far bigger loss than theo would be.
heck with Terry gone why not just start fresh with a new GM and manager. Then get rid of some of the players and be ready for 2012

This is why i'm fine with Theo leaving ........




Let’s take a look at Epstein’s notable free agent acquisitions since 2004.

- Edgar Renteria, 4yrs/$40m.
- Matt Clement, 3yrs/$25m .
- Julio Lugo, 4yrs/$36m.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka, 6yrs/$52m after $51 million negotiating bid.
- J.D Drew, 5yrs/$70m.
- John Lackey, 5yrs/$82.5m.
- Mike Cameron, 2yrs/$15.5m
- Carl Crawford, 7yrs/$142m

Disregarding bullpen acquisitions — which are about as coin flips — and not counting the David Wells’ and Joel Piniero’s of the world, that list accurately describes Epstein’s free-agent prowess since his flier’s on Bill Mueller and David Ortiz in 2003.

Since 2004, Epstein has spent in excess of $500million on free-agents, and that’s without including contract extensions on home-grown players and locking up trade acquisitions long-term ie. Adrian Gonzalez. You may be wondering,”What is Epstein’s return value on the aforementioned investments?”

$500+ million in investments have netted Epstein a combined batting average of .253, 111 homers(80 from Drew) and 425 RBI’s. His store-bought pitching compiled a record of 86-59 with an ERA of 4.94. Those numbers all span since 2004 and while each player offers his own scenario and role to the ball club, the statistical output tells a less than stellar tale for Theo Epstein.

If we want to use baseball adage, Theo Epstein is taking plenty of swings in free agency. He’s also producing Wily Mo Pena esque(a player which he signed) misses. And this is not to take away from Theo Epstein ‘the trader or Theo Epstein ‘the farm system wizard. He’s marveled colleagues throughout baseball with his ability to draft prospects and manipulate his farm system to his advantage. Many of Boston’s most respected trades have come due to the luxury of trading away high potential prospects. The likes of Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury are branded Theo Epstein.

But there’s a black eye over his Free Agency regime and the recent turn of events in Boston isn’t helping his credibility. At what point do we hold Theo Epstein accountable for some of these mistakes? How many more John Lackey volcanic eruptions on the mound of Fenway Park will we experience before the plug is pulled on yet another Epstein free agency dice roll? What will Carl Crawford’s monstrosity of a contract net the Red Sox in 3, 4 years? Will ‘Sox fans clench their teeth and pray their way through next off-season, an off-season which will result in Daisuke Matsuzaka’s impending free agency as well as a hole opening up in right field?

These aren’t worries you expect to have when Theo Epstein manages player personnel. Long thought to be one of the best in the game, Epstein continues to absorb chinks to his armor as veteran free agent signings fail to succeed lofty expectations. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up looking too far into this. But a championship team never produces completely from within their own system. Teams are forced to take calculated risks on free agents in order to fully compete for baseball’s biggest crown.

After yet another abysmal John Lackey outing and presumed limited payroll flexibility around the trading deadline, it leaves many to wonder how Boston will fare at the end of a grueling 162 game season with the roster in place as of now. Has Theo Epstein rolled the wrong dice, using up all his house money?

Maybe, but maybe lucky 7′s will flash before his eyes yet again, just in the nick of time.

[robby_morini]

Would be good for both teams. You can bring in the best talent in the game to Fenway, but without good leadership to manage the personalities, you end up with the 2011 Red Sox..again. Chemistry is a key piece of building a championship puzzle.

I was pumped before the season started because on paper, the Sox looked solid. You mix in a player like Lackey, or to a certain degree Crawford, the chemistry is gone. You need that leader that everyone respects to step up and manage these over paid children. Not many fans or players would have been upset with Lackey being benched, or Crawford sitting a few games.

Sure they had some injuries, but what MLB team didn't? One thing Theo did was buy the talent without considering the chemistry. He is good, but an experienced GM takes all of these factors into consideration.

Wayne, I agree that there was tension between Theo and Tito Jr. The Sox had the talent, but 2 or 3 players were cancers that eventually led to their decline. You could see it in their play, they were playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Francona went against his gut in some of the decisions that were made. I was sorry to see him go.

I personally would not be upset if Theo goes; it is best for all involved.

[diesel]

Agree with Wayne 100% Theo at this point would bot be a huge loss. His recent moves in free agency have not improved this team. I like think he did a great job but a new face in the GM role maybe what they need

[savage1]

I agree wholeheartedly with what has been said about Theo.
Without him, the sun will rise and set every day, the Sox will play 162 games next season(hopefully more) and Fenway Park will be sold out again for very consecutive game.
Francona's loss and departure and who will replace him is much more important at this juncture than who will replace Theo as long as the deep pockets are still there and of course that the new guy and his folks use a bit more common sense before offering some of these absurd and not well thought out long term contracts.