Theo Epstein steps down after 9 years as GM of Cubs

CHICAGO — Listening in on fans’ conversations during his walks home from Wrigley Field, Theo Epstein could sense their excitement as the Chicago Cubs set themselves up to capture that long-awaited World Series championship.

It was as if they were all in it together.

“It felt like the lines between fans and front office members and players were blurred because we were all part of this club that was in on a secret,” he said. “We all kind of knew what was about to happen, maybe before the rest of the baseball world did.”

Epstein, who transformed the long-suffering Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016, is stepping down after nine seasons as the club’s president of baseball operations, the team announced Tuesday. General manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted to take Epstein’s place.

Epstein said after the season he anticipated remaining on the job for at least one more year, with his contract set to expire in 2021. But he said Tuesday it became apparent this past summer “for a number of reasons” it was time to move on.

“It became really clear that we’d be facing some significant long-term decisions this winter, decisions with long-term impacts,” Epstein said. “Those types of decisions are really best made by somebody who’s going to be here for a long time, not just for one more year. … Jed clearly is that person.”

Chairman Tom Ricketts said it was a “sad day for me personally” and called Epstein a “great partner and truly a great friend.”

“Really, I think the legacy that Theo leaves behind is an organization that expects to win, not an organization that is surprised to win,” Ricketts added.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked financial havoc on baseball, Ricketts said money “had nothing to do” with Epstein’s decision. Epstein, who won’t be paid for 2021 by the Cubs, said Ricketts did not bring up his salary when they discussed his future. He also said he was not asked to resign.

The 46-year-old Epstein, who grew up near Boston and helped the Red Sox break an 86-year drought with World Series championships in 2004 and 2007, is one of five executives to win titles with multiple organizations. He, Pat Gillick, John Schuerholz and Dave Dombrowski are the only ones to do so with teams in each league.

Epstein hopes to stay involved with baseball while he plots his next move. He plans to run a team again, though probably not next season. He would like to be part of an ownership group at some point.

“Baseball team owners can be transformed into forces for civic good and help a lot of people and be involved in a lot of the important conversations in the city and be a solution for a lot of issues in cities,“Epstein said. “So that does appeal to me. A lot of things would have to go right for that to happen. Usually, for that type of thing to happen you need access to a lot of capital. … Who knows? Maybe I have plans for some of those things down the line, but a lot would have to go right for that to happen.”

For now, Epstein will remain in Chicago with his wife and two sons. He said he would likely become a season-ticket holder, maybe even a bleacher bum. And he vowed to buy beers for any Cubs fan he sees in a bar following the coronavirus pandemic, until the team wins a World Series under Hoyer.

Epstein oversaw a massive rebuild when he came to Chicago following the 2011 season. He overhauled the farm system as well as the scouting and analytics operations, helping to produce one of the most successful stretches in the franchise’s history with a big assist from Hoyer.