Theo Watch is Over, Cubs Finally Get Their Man

[Anno Catuli]

Finally, Theo has come to Chicago! That’s right, Theo Epstein is officially the President of the Chicago Cubs and will be introduced at a press conference on Tuesday, which is the next scheduled day off for the World Series. When the series is over, Jed Hoyer will be announced as the new General Manager and Jason McLeod will be introduced as the Assistant General Manager. If you did not know, these two men worked closely with Epstein during the first championship run for the Boston Red Sox. They work well together and are of similar minds, so we can only expect that they will be able to work the same magic here.


The managerial hire will come at some point after the second press conference, and who that man will be is anyone’s guess. The fan favorite choice, of course is Ryne Sandberg, but do not be so sure he will get the nod. Sure, when Epstein was expected to be the General Manager he seemed like the logical choice; after all Epstein tried to hire Sandberg for the Red Sox Triple A job before he settled on the Phillies gig. But Epstein will not be hiring the manager anymore, though he will have some say in the choice. That decision falls squarely in the hands of Hoyer.

While the compensation still has not been worked out, the job transfer is complete. Now the deal turns into Theo for a player to be named later. We see this type of transaction in baseball all the time, but I never thought I would see this for someone in management. Regardless, now the Cubs seem to be the ones who hold all the cards. Now because both the Red Sox and Cubs have officially announced the transaction the Cubs may only have to give up a low A ball player. That, however, will remain to be seen. The only difference between the negotiations and now is that Epstein himself will be negotiating the deal. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on his ego. He could completely try to get a bargin and only send a minor leaguer he does not feel will grow into a star. On the other hand, when people let their ego get in the way, he may give up a top prospect because that is what he feels he is worth. I would not count on that though, Epstein is a very smart man and he will not do anything that would set back his new franchise back. All reports indicated that the player compensation will be finalized in the next 10 days, so just wait and see what is to come.

While this was the best thing the Cubs could have done, at least one of the top two, not every Cubs fan is excited to see Epstein come to the Cubs, right Gary Karton? But as for myself, and several other Cub fans out there, I could not be more excited about this hire. Epstein is coming to town to once again turn a perennial looser into a championship contender.

However, I must stress again, do not expect a miracle turn around in a year or two. Give him some time as he needs to completely rebuild a minor league system and fill several key holes that remain on the 25 man roster. This can not be done all in one off season, so please hold tight and be patient. I know asking a Cubs fan to be patient is asking a lot after 103 years, but this is a whole new era and the Cubs need a complete rebuild.

All I can say, is trust Epstein, let him do his job. He may not go out an immediately sign a big name in free agency, and the Cubs may not have a winning record next year. But trust that Epstein will be able to turn things around the way he did in Boston. Granted, Boston was a lot closer to competing when Epstein got there than the Cubs are, but he is a proven winner. He has had great drafts, and I can only see good things in the future for our Cubbies.

 

[Lex L.]

Isn't there already another thread?

 

[Rice Cube]

Isn't there already another thread?

You can probably ask a mod to merge them then. Not a big deal.

 

[Anno Catuli]

Isn't there already another thread?

Yes, but one thing you should know, I was asked to come here and post my blogs on the page. Which is what I am doing. You don't like it? Too bad. Talk to them about it.

Until then, stop complaining.

 

[Lex L.]

Yes, but one thing you should know, I was asked to come here and post my blogs on the page. Which is what I am doing. You don't like it? Too bad. Talk to them about it.

Until then, stop complaining.

I don't know why.

Your writing is way too preachy, BTW.

 

[Anno Catuli]

I don't know why.

You're writing is way too preachy, BTW.

Thank you.

My advice to you is do not read them then. Others seem to like them.

 

[Lex L.]

Thank you.

My advice to you is do not read them then. Others seem to like them.

I've noticed that there are a lot of people on here who write pieces and like to post them. And that's fine. But more to the point of what you're saying here, when you say they "seem to like them", it's really a bunch of writers saying nice things because they want the same in return. Where the honesty is in all that is something that can be debated.

 

[nwfisch]

Lex, :umad:

Seriously, it's the internet. Relax.

 

[Rice Cube]

I've noticed that there are a lot of people on here who write pieces and like to post them. And that's fine. But more to the point of what you're saying here, when you say they "seem to like them", it's really a bunch of writers saying nice things because they want the same in return. Where the honesty is in all that is something that can be debated.

While you can debate Anno's writing style and punctuation and what not, the essence of his post isn't wrong per se. Theo's the new GM/President with Hoyer potentially the sub-GM/co-GM, Cubs fans should rejoice but not expect miracles.

 

[Uman85]

Keep it up, Anno. Good work, man.

 

[Lex L.]

While you can debate Anno's writing style and punctuation and what not, the essence of his post isn't wrong per se. Theo's the new GM/President with Hoyer potentially the sub-GM/co-GM, Cubs fans should rejoice but not expect miracles.

Well lets just address that premise. He needs to identify who is expecting miracles? If he can't its just empty rhetoric and a contrivance.

 

[Rice Cube]

Well lets just address that premise. He needs to identify who is expecting miracles? If he can't its just empty rhetoric and a contrivance.

He's mainly talking about the casual fans on our page and others who expect Theo to deliver a World Series right the **** now :lol: I'm sure you've met a few.

 

[nwfisch]

If Theo doesn't win a World Series by Tuesday he should be fired.

 

[Uman85]

If Theo doesn't win a World Series by Tuesday he should be fired.

Tuesday? I want it in the next hour!

 

[Lex L.]

He's mainly talking about the casual fans on our page and others who expect Theo to deliver a World Series right the **** now :lol: I'm sure you've met a few.

Sorry. People may be overexhuberant but I really don't think they're expecting miracles.

 

[Rice Cube]

Sorry. People may be overexhuberant but I really don't think they're expecting miracles.

I'm pretty optimistic that most intelligent Cubs fans realize that just because Theo has brains oozing out his ears doesn't mean he can turn this mess into a contender overnight. Going to take a lot of work and just as much luck to set up a one-year plan :lol: I'm looking at 3-5, myself, if they want to do it right considering how patient Ricketts seems to be.

 

[Anno Catuli]

Do you not remember all the Cub fans who were screaming when the Cubs did not seriously contend in Ricketts first year? I sure do. I am sure there will be some when Theo does not deliver his first year as well.

THAT is the meaning behind what I wrote. There are those who think that just because he is here, that the Cubs will sign every big name that is out there and be an instant contender.

Again, if you do not like my thoughts or opinions, feel free to avoid my threads. Simple as that Lex.

 

[Lex L.]

Do you not remember all the Cub fans who were screaming when the Cubs did not seriously contend in Ricketts first year? I sure do. I am sure there will be some when Theo does not deliver his first year as well.

THAT is the meaning behind what I wrote. There are those who think that just because he is here, that the Cubs will sign every big name that is out there and be an instant contender.

Again, if you do not like my thoughts or opinions, feel free to avoid my threads. Simple as that Lex.

Contending in the first year wouldnt be a miracle. Thats the word that someone used. The other thing is that people are tired of the roster not being addressed in a meaningful way even though the Cubs have the advantages that come with being a large market team.

I think you're imprecise in what you're attributing to people. I think what you're doing is an oversimplifcation and it's lazy.

 

[Rice Cube]

Contending in the first year wouldnt be a miracle. Thats the word that someone used. The other thing is that people are tired of the roster not being addressed in a meaningful way even though the Cubs have the advantages that come with being a large market team.

I think you're imprecise in what you're attributing to people. I think what you're doing is an oversimplifcation and it's lazy.

I don't think it's an oversimplification when you look at the way the media (particularly the Chicago media) writes about the Cubs and the way people react on messageboards etc. One can concede that it's a bit lazy, but it's not inaccurate.