Chicago Cubs Rumors: Theo Epstein, Terry Francona Talk Manager, Could It Happen?
"We're going to kind of sit down together and make sure it's a fit."
That was the first thing that new Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein had to say regarding the situation of former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona becoming the next Cubs manager. There is no secret regarding the success Francona has had in the past, and he will likely be courted by many other teams including division rivals the St. Louis Cardinals.
Francona has already seen immediate success with the Red Sox, and would likely continue to see that type of success if he were to enter the Cardinals organization. Wouldn't a challenge be nice though? Many believe Francona, along with Epstein, simply walked into a great situation in Boston and in turn would also likely be walking into a great situation with the recent World Series champion Cardinals.
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What the Cubs present to not only Epstein, but Francona as well is an opportunity to succeed on their own terms. They both have a chance to create something out of nothing. That is what Francona needs to realize and why he needs to make the decision on if this is the fit for him. Obviously, Epstein saw the challenge and he wants to tackle it. He needs a manager who has the same vision as him.
Francona can make the easy decision, and take the situation that has the best chance at returning immediate results. If he wants to really cement his name in history, he will tell Epstein that he wants this job and that he wants to once again make history with the team like he did in Boston.
The only other factor is that Epstein may not end up seeing Francona as his best option. Francona does fulfill all of Epstein's areas of needs, but perhaps Epstein wants to do this one on his own. If he were to get Francona, and they were to win it all, they would go down as the greatest front office/manager duo in the history of sports (perhaps even more than Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson and Jerry Krause)? It really isn't evident if Theo feels this way, but he may ultimately want to go outside of the box from what he did in Boston.
That point could go to rest though, considering the team that he has brought into Chicago, which consists of almost all the major pieces he had in Boston with Jed Hoyer and Jason McLoud. Obviously the three of them have a rich history with Francona, and they at least would know what they are getting. Going with any other manager, experienced or not, runs the risk of not knowing how they will respond in the manager's role.
In the end, Epstein likely knows that Francona is a fit and he would be foolish not to take such a proven manager. The decision is likely Francona's, and what he feels is the best situation for him. If he wants to win right now, go to St. Louis. If he wants to make history yet again, come to Chicago.
Jeff Chase is from Chicago and is an undergrad at Arizona State University. He currently is interning with B/R and is in process of becoming a Featured Columnist for Arizona State football.
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