Theo Epstein Finally Escapes Boston Red Sox To Join Chicago Cubs

We all knew Theo Epstein would leave his job as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox to join the Chicago Cubs' front office at some point. It was just a matter of timing.

That timing—the middle of the 2011 World Series—resulted in a rather low-key joint statement released on Friday on behalf of both teams, announcing Theo's long-awaited move from Beantown to the North Side of Chicago. The Cubs and the Red Sox will refrain from further comment until Tuesday, the next off day during the Fall Classic.

Epstein will take over as President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs and is expected to hire former colleague and current San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer to assume the same position in Chicago.

The move had been on hold as the teams negotiated over what sort of compensation the Red Sox would receive for Epstein, who had one year remaining on his contract. Boston had sought out shortstop Starlin Castro and pitcher Matt Garza on separate occasions, but will likely settle for prospects instead, though the compensation has yet to be settled.

The timing of the change couldn't have been more perfect for Theo. The Red Sox appear headed for a grim few years on the heals of squandering a nine-game lead to the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the American League Wild Card. Manager Terry Francona was let go shortly thereafter amidst a media bloodbath that picked on Tito for his personal transgressions and placed blame on the players for taking a lackadaisical approach to their business during the season.

The Cubs aren't in particularly good shape either, not after finishing the season at 71-91 and in fourth place in the National League Central. However, they do have some solid players to build around, including Castro and Garza, and some solid prospects coming through the pipes.

Not that Theo necessarily sought out the job for being a quick fix. If Epstein is able to turn around the Cubs like he did the Red Sox, for whom he crafted two World Series champions, he may well go down not only as a veritable "curse killer", but also as one of the greatest front office executives in baseball history, just shy of Hall-of-Famer Branch Rickey.

Of course, the road to greatness at Wrigley Field is long and winding, as arduous as any given the franchise's extensive track record of failure. However, with the support of the Cubs' loving fans and the Ricketts family, Epstein has what it takes to turn the "Lovable Losers" into a championship-caliber organization sooner than most might expect.