By Dan O’Shea
Finally, officially, Theo Epstein is joining the Cubs, not as GM, but president of baseball operations. It might be the ideal position for a proven winner with a proven system, but who might need others on his management team to balance his recent willingness to risk big deals on big free agents.
You see, the best part of this deal might be the deals to come – the likelihood that Epstein cohorts Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod could be joining the Cubs, too, as GM and assistant GM, respectively.
Hoyer would have been a good choice for Cubs GM with or without Theo, as he has recently overseen San Diego’s emphasis on player development and getting top prospects in exchange for big names like Adrian Gonzalez.
Hoyer may have robbed his buddy in the A-Gon deal – we’ll find it over the next few years, as the former Boston prospects rise in San Diego, and Gonzalez toils to help Boston return to prominence.
In losing Gonzalez, San Diego had to live with a losing season this year, but the youth movement there is similar to what brought Arizona a division title this year.
In any case, having a three-headed Team Theo is the best possible outcome for the Cubs, and could help Tom Ricketts make up for the debacle of Jim Hendry’s departure – though of course Team Theo has to clean up the Hendry mess.
Team Theo could bring a more balanced attack than Theo would alone, decisive and aggressive, willing to take selective risks and recognizing that player development is the biggest need before getting the Cubs back in postseason shape.
It’s still not clear who the Cubs will have to give up for Theo, let alone for Hoyer and McLeod, but at least we know there is new sheriff in town.
See also:
* Blame It On Theo
* Tim Kurkjian and Aaron Boone on Theo Joining The Cubs
* Michael Wilbon: Five Good Minutes With Theo Epstein
* Jed Hoyer
* 10 Questions With Jason McLeod
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Dashing Dan O’Shea welcomes your comments.
Posted on October 26, 2011