Theo Epstein Compensation: Is This a Good Deal for the Boston Red Sox?

The long and seemingly endless saga of Theo Epstein's compensation finally came to its conclusion. The teams announced today that the Boston Red Sox received 26-year-old pitcher Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later from the Chicago Cubs for Epstein and a player to be named later.

Carpenter is on the Cubs' 40-man roster, which would seemingly fulfill the Red Sox's request that they receive a "quality" player.

He's not by any stretch of the imagination a top prospect, but Carpenter is a pitcher that could be a contributor at the big league level. He's not going to be playing in All-Star games, but he could be a pitcher of some consequence.

The onus is now on the Red Sox. Carpenter is a big (6'4", 220 pounds), right-handed pitcher who was chosen in the third round of the 2008 amateur draft.

The Red Sox' third-round pick that year? Kyle Weiland.

Carpenter has had an up-and-down minor league career. His biggest obstacle seems to be that in spite of being able to strike people out, he is also somewhat hittable. At 26, he still has a chance to develop, but he doesn't have the luxury of time that the Red Sox would have preferred in the form of a younger prospect.

The best thing about the conclusion of this saga is that it brings to an end the implosion of the 2011 regular season and the very public controversy surrounding the events that followed. The downside is that it's another indication of just how disorganized the Red Sox were in the aftermath of that collapse.

The Red Sox and their fans will never know what the team would have received for Epstein had they been willing to drive a hard bargain when the Cubs first made the request to negotiate. Yes, the Cubs could have simply said that they'd wait until Epstein's contract expired following the 2012 season, but what if the Red Sox with Theo had a great 2012?

That could have changed the decision-making process for Epstein as far as leaving Boston. We'll never know, and neither will the Cubs, or anyone else for that matter. The Red Sox missed their opportunity to exert leverage in this negotiation.

We'll never know exactly why, but it's worth pondering. Then again, if Carpenter can fulfill his promise and develop into a solid relief pitcher or starter, this will all seem like a lot of wasted energy.

Epstein is in Chicago, Carpenter is coming to Boston and the 2012 season is right around the corner, with 2011 finally, hopefully starting to fade into the rear-view mirror.