Theo Epstein has officially left the building. The general manager who brought two World Series championships to a starving franchise has left for what he believes will be greener pastures. Rather than stick around and clean up the booze-infested, downward-spiraling locker room he helped create, Epstein has accepted a higher position with the Cubs.
The move creates somewhat of a no-lose situation for Theo. With Chicago, he’ll have more power than he would be allowed under the current Red Sox ownership group. On top of that, if he brings the Cubs their first championship in over 100 years he goes down as the greatest president/general manager of all time and the one who saved two historic franchises. If not, life in Chicago remains the same but it won’t be seen as Theo’s fault.
On Sunday, Epstein did the right thing and thanked the fans, players, and coaches in Boston for a memorable 10-year run. Unlike LeBron James who intentionally left a few people out, it seems like Theo hit on all the points he needed to in his full-page Boston Globe ad that Peter Abraham passed along.
Epstein even thanked Terry Francona, which is a welcome change from everyone accusing him of being a drug abuser and pinning the September collapse on him. As a Sox fan, I think the way Theo left was pretty lame but I can’t really blame him. The Cubs have a lot more to offer at the moment and sometimes you need to look out for yourself. He may have made some poor signings during his time in Boston, but he did more in his 10 years than any other GM in team history.
