Theo Epstein

by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 31, 2005 3:12 PM PST in Seattle Mariners News, Regular

Contrary to a previous report by the Globe, Epstein and the Red Sox didn't reach an agreement - instead, he's leaving the organization and will be looking for a new home for the 2006 season.

Theo Epstein stunned the Red Sox and the baseball world this afternoon by walking away from his job as general manager.

Just hours before his deal was set to expire at midnight, Epstein told his bosses and associates at the Red Sox' Yawkey Way offices that he had decided not to accept a three-year deal worth $1.5 million a year, an extension for the contract he signed on Nov. 25, 2002.

Epstein accomplished everything he'd ever dreamed of in Boston, winning a world championship in his second year at the helm while guiding the Red Sox to three consecutive 95+ win seasons. To his successor, he leaves a talented, yet expensive and aging roster, one which began to show several cracks in 2005 over the course of the summer. There's a lot of money tied up in a lot of players for a lot of years, and whoever gets hired as a replacement will have to set about rebuilding a pitching staff while figuring out a way to make Manny Ramirez shut the hell up. Being the face of the Red Sox is no small task, and the pressure played a large part in Epstein's walking away from the team when it looked like he was close to returning. The next guy's going to have his work cut out for him, to be sure.

So, what becomes of Epstein, and who takes over in Boston? Los Angeles seems an unlikely destination, given its recent experiences with a similar GM, and at the same time Paul DePodesta doesn't look like much of a choice for the Red Sox, given that his poor leadership and communication skills would make for a disaster under the microscope of the Boston media. While Epstein may go on to find himself in high demand, the situation in Boston will merit considerable attention, as nothing can be done to a roster that needs a lot of work until the team finds a suitable replacement.

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I'd fire Bavasi for Epstein...

...in a frickin' heartbeat.

"Thanks, Bill, you've been great, but two last-place finishes won't cut it. Here's your paycheck for 2006."

Now THAT would convince me that the Mariners mean business about wanting to be excellent.

It's not that I dislike Bavasi- it's simply that the culture of the whole front office needs to be shaken up, a lot, and someone like Epstein would be the guy to do it.

The odds of this happening, though, are somewhere between zero and negative integers...

by eponymous coward on Oct 31, 2005 4:12 PM PST reply actions

interesting info by ussmariner

http://ussmariner.com/?p=3089

by sergey on Oct 31, 2005 6:29 PM PST up reply actions

Ooops

Forgot to read the last sentence.

This is totally not true. But would it be any weirder than what's been going on in Boston this last week?

by sergey on Oct 31, 2005 6:31 PM PST up reply actions

He got out before the wheels fell off

All he did was look at Boston. They are in a decline with little hope of improving becuase they used a method of sacrificing the future to grab players for their run at a championship. He understands that if he stays there his rep will go down so he ditched them. I think Boston might be bitching about him in a few years, much like how we bitch about Pat Gillick leaving the Mariners' cupboard bare.

by Edgar for Pres on Oct 31, 2005 5:02 PM PST reply actions

Not true at all

That is totally not true.

I think that you have Epstein and Pat Gillick mixed up.

The Red Sox have some big contracts (Manny, Varitek, Schilling, etc) but at least all of these guys are productive.

The thing that is most impressive about what Epstein did in Boston is how he managed to build that team into a winner while still improving the farm team.

Look at Boston's system. They have a whole lot of talent. They have guys like Jon Papelbon, Jon Lester, Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, and several other advanced prospects in their system, and they really helped themselves a lot in the last draft, where they had something like 5 picks in the first round.

Since Boston has a huge payroll, they can afford to overpay for very important guys like Varitek. Their farm system is good enough that they can compliment those high-priced players with good young talent.

The Red Sox are pretty much a model franchise.

Epstein did an incredibly good job there. It is really tough to rebuild a weak farm system while you are contending, and he managed to pull it off. They are nothing like the Yankees, who traded away all their prospects for aging vets.

What you said above applies well to Pat Gillick. He loaded the M's up with old players, left the farm system in a mess through a series of bad drafts, and bailed out when the team was about to fall apart.

Boston is a good shape. They'll be good for a while.

If the M's fall on their face again, and Bavasi is the scapegoat, I hope that the M's go after Epstein. He and Beane are the best GMs in baseball.

by Jerry on Oct 31, 2005 7:11 PM PST up reply actions

Pretty much any GM

with a $120 million payroll can build a model franchise.

Give him credit for making the right moves and helping Boston win that elusive World Series, but whoever takes his place has a mess of holes, free agents and big contracts to clean up. Oh yeah, and Man Ram's annual demand to trade him.

by Gomez on Oct 31, 2005 7:25 PM PST up reply actions

Boston is falling apart.

I mainly made the comparison between the two GMs because they both left a team before a decline where they left the team old(avg. age ~32) and with little hope of repeating their accomplishments.

If Manny and Damon leave, they are losing ~225 RBIs and possible their two best players. They won't be able to replace these players unless they trade some of their "premium prospects". Their pitching is just bad and is going to get worst unless they spend some serious money. I actually think that they are pretty easy to compare to the what the Yankees are going to go through also. The only way that the Yankees have put off a rebuilding era is that they have a sky-high payroll. I could easily see the Red Sox payroll increasing even more. If it doesn't, they won't be close to the playoffs next year.

I think Epstein saw that he had little upside staying with Boston so he said bye and saved his brilliant rep from any failure.

by Edgar for Pres on Oct 31, 2005 7:36 PM PST up reply actions

Not at all true

Take a look at Boston's farm system. Their pitching may not be awesome right now, but they have three premium pitching prospects in the upper levels of their system. Jon Papelbon will be in their rotation next season, and he is really good. Jon Lester could be up by mid-season, and is one of the best lefty prospects in baseball. Annibal Sanchez could pitch in their bullpen soon, and he throws gas. Plus, they have Craig Hansen, who was the best college closer in the draft. He will be in their bullpen next year and is dominant. They also have a lot of position player prospects. Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, Kevin Youkilis, and Kelly Shoppach could all spend significant time in Boston next year. Pedroia and Youkilis are likely to start.

Their pitching will be just fine. They will have a healthy Schilling, Clement is solid, and Arroyo is a good back of the rotation guy.

Also, you have to realized that the Red Sox are not just going to lose Manny and David Wells. They will be getting some players back if they are moved. Manny in particular will bring them back some good talent.

Plus, Damon is a good bet to resign. If he doesn't, the Sox will have some money to get someone else.

Boston is not in decline at all. They had to deal with injuries to some key players last season. Trot Nixon, Schilling, and Keith Foulke all missed a lot of time. If those three were healthy, I think that the playoffs would have been different.

Don't kid yourself into thinking that the Red Sox are going into decline. With $120 million to spend, plus one of the best farm systems in baseball, they have plenty of resources to stay good for the next few years.

I think that they are likely to be better next year.

by Jerry on Nov 1, 2005 11:03 AM PST up reply actions

Boston is falling apart?

Nah. I don't think so.
That's the whole point Jerry was making. That's the whole point for them improving their farm system.

Before Epstein came in, their farm system was a mess. Today, the farm system has improved significantly, with some premium talent.
Every Team gets old some day, and in order to continue the success, you need a lot of money, or a good farm system to complement the MLB team.

Boston has both the money and the farm system.

I think Jerry's comment says it all.

>>Pretty much any GM with a $120 million payroll can build a model franchise.
I wouldn't say that the Yankees are a model franchise although they have close to 200M invested in their lineup. Their farm system basically is a mess.
Also, the M's have a lot of money, with not much talent in the farm system.
So, no. I don't think any GM can maintain a model franchise with a lot of money... Although it definitely helps.

by BeltredNOT on Oct 31, 2005 8:37 PM PST reply actions