From Boston to Chicago to where?
If Theo Epstein leaves, Jed Hoyer in place to assume control
So Theo Epstein is sticking around in 2021, or at least that’s what the Chicago Cubs president said he expects will happen when he spoke to reporters Monday on a teleconference.
That’s good news.
Epstein built the team that won a championship in 2016 and then watched it regress over the last three seasons. It should be up to him to make the changes necessary to get the Cubs back to contender status, and he’ll have all offseason to figure out howto do it as quickly as possible.
In case a reminder is needed, the Cubs have not won a postseason game since 2017. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s time to try something new.
No one expects Epstein to stick around when his five-year contract ends after next year, and he didn’t say anything Monday to shoot down that speculation. He’s young enough at 46 to take on new challenges, and his legacy is secure in Boston and Chicago.
But one question that lingers is who will succeed Epstein as president of baseball operations and provide a buffer from business operations President Crane Kenney.
The expectation is that general manager Jed Hoyer, Epstein’s right-hand man with the Red Sox and during the last nine seasons in Chicago, will seamlessly slide into the role at the appropriate time.
In that case, 2021 is basically a transition year for Hoyer, whohas waited patiently for his chance.
“Look, as I’ve said, we’ve only had general discussions about a potential transition, whenever that may be,” Epstein said. “Nothing specific. Obviously now is the time to be thoughtful about it. You do have to start getting more specific and making some more decisions.
“Jed is someone who has been a huge part of the success here with the Cubs and with the Red Sox before that. He’s also someone whohas already been a successful No. 1 in baseball operations when he served as general manager of the Padres. I recognize those qualities and everything that he brings to the table and how much he has done for this organization, and Tom (Ricketts) and the Ricketts family do too.
“So that’s obviously a factor when you start to set out and discuss what a transition might look like. But have there been any decisions made, or is there anyfirm success plan or transition plan in place? No. Those are exactly the things we have to talk about moving forward. But we’re lucky to have Jed and that’s universally recognized around here.”
Hoyer, remember, was unofficially in charge of the Cubs after the 2016 World Series.
In the clubhouse in Cleveland after Game 7, Epstein announced to the media: “Jed is in charge. I’m goingonamonthlongbender. Wake meupatthe winter meetings.”
Epstein’s “bender” went well, as Hoyer joked a couple of weeks later at the general managers meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“It’s a solid effort so far,” Hoyer said. “I’d give it a solid B-plus with a little break here. This is a more impressive one (than in 2004 in Boston). I’ll speak for myself, but we were really young in ‘04 and it happened very quickly, and there’s a different level of appreciation for what we accomplished. We went through some really dark times in Chicago and through age comes a little bit more wisdom that it’s really hard to win.”
So maybe it will be a transition year in which Epstein lets Hoyer make all of the major decisions while he sits back and maps out his future. It’s hard to imagine Epstein ceding control of anything, but if he would do it for anyone, it certainly would be his friend and partner.