Thank God, Theo's Gone

With each second that passes, it seems more and more likely that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein will leave the team for a position with the Chicago Cubs. It is likely that he will have control over all baseball operations in Chicago. This was not the case in Boston, as he dealt with oversight from team president Larry Lucchino. Epstein and Lucchino had their differences, which prompted Epstein to take a leave of absence from October 31, 2005 to January 19, 2006.

Epstein

As a  Red Sox fan, I am ecstatic that Epstein is moving on. As I wrote in an earlier post, the Red Sox have spent $308.7 million on the likes of five players who didn't do much for this team. The most important trade since Nomar Garciaparra was dealt to the Cubs was completed when Epstein was on his leave of absence (the Red Sox received Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins in exchange for prospects Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and Jesus Delgado). This was the key to the Sox 2007 World Series victory. Lowell was the 2007 World Series MVP and Beckett finished second in the CY Young voting. This trade does not even count, since Theo ad nothing to do with it.

Theo's departure follows a September collapse of epic proportions and the departure of beloved manager Terry Francona. It was not Francona's fault; it was Theo's and now he gets to walk into a lucrative new job with the Cubs? That's not right.