Kuzul

In one of the biggest trades of last year’s offseason, the Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres for prospects, Anthony Rizzo, Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes.

Rizzo, a first baseman, was an intriguing prospect given his connection to then-Red Sox general manger Theo Epstein’s protege, Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer.

Fast forward to now, as Theo Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations and Jed Hoyer is the general manager of the Chicago Cubs, and as of today, Anthony Rizzo has rejoined Epstein/Hoyer in Chicago as he was traded from the Padres’ for right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner.

Ever since the Padres’ dealt starting pitcher Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds for first baseman Yonder Alonso, pitcher Edison Volquez and catching prospect Yasmani Grandal, it was suspected that Rizzo would become a main target for the Cubs given both Epstein and Hoyer’s connections with him.

At Triple-A Tucson last year, Rizzo batted .331 with 26 home runs and 101 RBI in 93 games.  Immediately Rizzo becomes one of the Cubs top prospects along side center fielder Brett Jackson.

Rizzo brings to the table the prototypical power-hitting left-handed batter that many teams search so hard to find.  At just 22 years old, Rizzo posses a great combination of power as well as an ability to hit balls all over the field.  Although he struggled in his first call up to the major leagues and is expected to start the 2012 season at Triple-A Iowa, Rizzo immediately becomes one of the first major acquisitions in the rebuilding of this Cubs franchise.

It has been no secret that the Cubs are not going to be much of a contender next season or the season after that.  Former general manger Jim Hendry played in to the win now philosophy, and the Cubs are riddled with aging veterans with large contracts. Epstein and Hoyer have been doing their best to focus around their young star, Starlin Castro, and to begin to build a young nucleus around him. 

Earlier trades involving Sean Marshall going to the Reds for 24-year-old starting pitcher Travis Wood and getting rid of Carlos Zambrano for a serviceable 25-year-old starting pitcher Chris Volstad have shown that this new regime is ready to get younger and are willing to eat a large contract (i.e., Cubs will be paying for the majority of Zambrano’s remaining $18 million that remains on his deal).

If Rizzo can pan out to become the type of player that many believe he can be, the Cubs may have finally found their long-term solution at first base.  A guy who can hit for power, have a high average and play exceptional defense at first can become a cornerstone along with Starlin Castro and Brett Jackson, for an organization that is desperate to win.  Rizzo is not the only answer or even the savior, but he is a great starting point for an organization desperate to win. 

Hopefully in the years to come, Rizzo can make the phrase “Wait until next year” a thing of the past.

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Theo Epstein was just appointed President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs, and he has a laundry list of problems to fix. His priorities range from blockbuster contracts for lackluster players, a dismal farm system and a front office that just hasn’t looked like they’re on the same page since the whole Bartman thing.

Epstein had immense success in his early years in Boston, but he was given a team with immense talent. The Red Sox let the Cubs interview Epstein about a possible position in their front office after a 2011 season in which the Red Sox went 7-20 in September, losing the Wild Card to the Tampa Bay Rays on the final day of the season.

Epstein took blame for the collapse alongside Red Sox manager Terry Francona, and then Francona‘s contract for 2012 was not picked up and he was trashed in the newspapers before he could even leave Boston.

Epstein didn’t take long to follow Francona and jump ship in Boston. He interviewed with Chicago and agreed to a deal that was finalized on October 21st after long negotiations between the Red Sox and Cubs on compensation for Epstein’s departure.

All that is now resolved and Epstein has been given a team with which he can clean his slate. He needs to get rid of contracts like Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano, but he has a more important task at the top of his list.

The Cubs need a new manager before the 2012 season, preferably as soon as possible.

Mike Quade, who managed the Cubs for his first full season as a Major League manager in 2011, led the team to a 71-91 record. The record is not as bad as the mismanagement of the bullpen in the second half of the season and the lack of development in the farm system.

The Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs just after the All-Star break and Quade should have saved his pitchers and position players from throwing out their arms or stealing bases in the grueling July, August and September of the baseball season. With so many managers on the sidelines, there is no reason for Epstein to keep Mike Quade as his manager.

Terry Francona is not a candidate to be the Cubs’ manager. His career ended harshly in Boston, and he is likely to stay out of the baseball limelight for at least a year. His broadcasting debut with FOX in October went well, and he would rather pursue that than rejuvenate a grown clubhouse again.

Epstein has some managers to choose from, but it will take convincing to move them out of retirement.

Ryne Sandberg is the Cubs’ first choice for their next manager. He had been a manager for the Cubs in the minor leagues until last year when they pushed him aside and gave Mike Quade the managerial position after Lou Piniella’s departure. Sandberg is respected in the Cubs’ organization and also by the players, so Epstein should consider him first. 

Epstein would also be wise to consider Bobby Valentine for the job. Valentine was most recently the manager of the New York Mets and took the Mets to the World Series in 2000. Valentine also had a very successful career managing in Japan, and his big city managing style would mesh well with Chicago. 

Epstein and Francona were on the same page from 2004 to 2008 and they won two Championships over that time period. Epstein will hire a manager that he identifies with both systematically and personally.

Epstein was a personable general manager in Boston; he would walk about the clubhouse and talk with his players, always staying on top of his team’s well-being. He would read every word of the reports he got from his scouts and was meticulous in his decisions on an everyday basis.

Valentine would complement his style well. Valentine managed with his ear to the ground, he knew the heart beat of his team every single day of the season and he would make the right decisions in every game—something Quade did not do in 2011.

There are managers in retirement that would fit the Cubs’ style but they are long shots. Joe Torre would be perfect, but to call him even a long shot is generous; he’s someone who no one talks about anymore and led a team with high-paid players that performed regularly.

Willie Randolph coached the Mets from 2005 to 2008 and had a winning record each year. The Mets have traditionally had a short leash with managers, and Randolph got a bad rap in the city upon his departure. Randolph coaches on Buck Showalter’s staff in Baltimore and is certainly more weathered in the Major Leagues that Mike Quade. He would fit well in Chicago and is someone who could adapt to Epstein’s plans for the farm system and the organization as a whole.

Epstein is going to turn Chicago upside-down. He will not be afraid of telling Cub fans like it is, and ridding them of the Bartman/Billy goat curse will be his goal. He took the job with the Cubs because he wants a new challenge.

He broke Boston’s curse, and now that he’s 37, he wants to break the other curse in baseball. Chicago has potential for a championship-caliber team, but their turnaround will start when Epstein finds a replacement for Mike Quade.

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When you are mired in a curse, who do you call?

Why not Theo Epstein, who led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years, just two years after being appointed general manager?

Epstein, now 37 years old, is credited with reversing the “Curse of the Bambino” at Fenway Park, acquiring key acquisitions David Ortiz, Kevin Millar and Curt Schilling before the team’s improbable run to the championship in 2004. He made sure to add in another championship in 2007, as well.

Now the Chicago Cubs are hoping Epstein can reverse the “Curse of the Billy Goat,” brought on by ticket holder Billy Sianis, who was ejected along with his pet goat by the organization during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.

The Cubs ain’t gonna win no more.

Cubs fans still get the chills when those infamous last words spring up year after year. When you haven’t won a World Series for 103 years, it’s the little things that count…like billy goat curses.

After Epstein resigned from the Red Sox Friday night, he now is the president of baseball operations for the Cubs.

Will he turn this seemingly hopeless franchise around? Let us examine.

The Cubs last made it to the playoffs in 2008, when they were swept in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite winning 97 games that season. Their record has steadily declined each season after that, winning just 71 games this season.

But there is some hope whenever Epstein is around.

The Cubs don’t have the payroll the Red Sox do, but remember Epstein signed Ortiz for cheap just before he blossomed. It’s not like he still can’t find deals.

He’s going to have to figure out what to do with Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez, who are free agents this offseason. Pena hit 28 home runs this season, but he also batted just .225 with 80 RBI. Ramirez is 33 years old and predictably came back to life this season in a contract year.

There’s also Alfonso Soriano’s massive contract. If Epstein can pull off a deal similar to the one that sent Manny Ramirez from Boston to Los Angeles, he would be looked at as some kind of deity by Cubs fans.

He also has to decide whether manager Mike Quade is fit for the job. Ryne Sandberg is waiting in the wings, after all.

In short, the Cubs still aren’t in a good place, nor do they have a roster fit for the playoffs, but they do have Epstein. And if there’s anyone who can turn around a struggling franchise, it’s Epstein.

Epstein’s first offseason with the Cubs will show us just what kind of impact he is ready to make.

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The deal is done.  Tom Ricketts has pulled off what many would have described as the impossible only a month ago.  Theo Epstein has quit his position as GM for the Boston Red Sox and accepted the job of President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs, bringing with him Jed Hoyer as the new GM. 

Ricketts now has his baseball guy to watch his baseball guy.  After the purchase of the team, Ricketts had two stated goals.  First, to build an infrastructure that develops talent from within.  Second, to field a team that can contend for the World Series every year.  The hiring of marquee talent such as Epstein and Hoyer proves his commitment to the first goal.  Giving them the green light to acquire Prince Fielder would prove a much needed commitment to the second.

The Cubs will have approximately $50 million coming off of the books for the 2012 season.  An explanation of my math can be seen here.  Even if Ricketts chooses to reduce payroll going forward, the Cubs can still afford either of the two biggest free agents this offseason, Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. 

Pujols is 31 years old, maybe.  He wants one last contract that will make him the highest paid player in MLB history, $300 million over 10 years.  This is simply too high of a price for a player that we can reasonable expect to see a decline in ability from only a few years from now.  The team that gives him this contract is going to significantly overpay in the last years.

Fielder is 27 and reportedly looking for $20 million a year.  Someone is going to give him that for seven or eight years.  Paying Fielder $20 million in his final year at age 35 looks a whole lot better than paying Pujols $30 million at age 41.  In fact, $30 million at ages 39, 40 and 41 would make Soriano’s contract look palatable. 

After the past few seasons, Cubs fans need a reason to come out to Wrigley in 2012.  Let’s hope that Tom Ricketts is as serious about winning now as he is about winning in the future.

More Cubs Articles:

Cubs: First Base Options for 2012

Cubs: 6 Expiring Contracts and $50 Million that Will Help Epstein

Cubs GM Epstein: Get Quade Out, Bring Sandberg In

Wrigley Field Tear Down Plan That Cubs Fans Will Love

Cubs: Third Base Options for 2012

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The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox both announced on Friday that Theo Epstein will resign as a member of the Boston staff and finally join Chicago as their new President of Baseball Operations, with a press conference set for Tuesday out of respect for the World Series.

The Cubs will reportedly go after San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer for their general manager position. Hoyer worked with Epstein in Boston as the assistant GM before leaving for the Padres.

Boston will hold a press conference Tuesday as well, and will announce Epstein’s replacement, Ben Cherington, who recently served as the team’s assistant GM.

Typically announcements such as this are not made until after the World Series so baseball fans can focus on baseball’s grandest stage, but since the Epstein-to-Chicago story has occupied the front pages of both Boston and Chicago, baseball needs to end this story now so the World Series can be the hottest baseball story in the sport.

Not only is that a good decision for baseball, but the Cubs need Epstein to get to work as soon as possible because there is much work to be done in order to make the organization a winner.

Epstein’s greatest talent is developing homegrown stars, and this is what the Cubs need badly. Chicago has very few homegrown players with superstar potential.

Developing young stars like he did in Boston with Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury will be crucial to the Cubs’ ability to make the playoffs consistently.

After failing to win the World Series since 1918, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 after Epstein helped build a very good team in Boston. 

The Cubs are hoping Epstein is talented enough to win the World Series for two “cursed” teams.

Chicago has not won the World Series since 1908, and Epstein has a much tougher task building a perennial winner with the Cubs than he had in Boston.

Epstein will make the Cubs a winning franchise, but it will take time—more time than it took in Boston to make the Red Sox an annual World Series contender.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news and updates.  Follow @NicholasGoss35

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Theo Epstein has made it official: he’s leaving the Boston Red Sox for the friendly and eternally losing confines of Wrigley Field.

While everyone obsesses over how quickly Theo can transform the Cubs from perennial mediocrity into World Series champs, his departure from Fenway Park does bring the Moneyball concept full circle. 

Remember the dynamic and exciting Oakland Athletics teams that were the subject of the Michael Lewis book and of the current hit movie starring Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill?

The A’s supposedly popularized the “Moneyball” approach to small-market baseball success, and while Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane never won a World Series, an admiring young Theo Epstein later put some of the Moneyball concepts in place and won twice with the Red Sox (’04 and ’07).

Now Epstein has taken his act, and presumably, his spreadsheets and databases, to Chicago, one of MLB‘s most well-heeled teams.

Meanwhile, it is more than a little ironic then that one of the few MLB teams more forlorn than Epstein’s Cubs is the current version of the A’s. Oakland ended 2011 with a fifth straight non-winning season—one of the worst stretches ever for the storied franchise. 

The A’s were not only bad in 2011, they ranked near the top in the AL for errors committed and near the bottom in batting; they were also boring.

Quick, name one compelling young star player on the A’s—the type of player you’d ditch work early to watch. Okay, Jemile Weeks. He is not quite a top-tier player yet, but he’s the closest thing the A’s have to a compelling young star. Now, name another…

If the A’s were relegated out of MLB—the way the cellar-dwelling English soccer clubs are sentenced to every season in the EPL—would anyone miss them? Perhaps the few thousand fans who turn up at the Coliseum, but that’s a tiny fraction of those who passionately followed the team during the Moneyball era.

Were you at the jam-packed Coliseum during the pulsating 2006 AL playoffs—especially the “Marco…SCUTARO!” game? (Of course you were…I’ll bet half a million of us were at that game!) 

Was that only five years ago? The A’s have faded from Moneyball darlings to irrelevant and unwatchable with frightening speed. 

Oh, and the Coliseum (now known as O.co Coliseum—which raises the question of whether Chad Ochocinco secretly won the naming rights) is hardly a destination ballpark. Once a fairly pleasant venue with eucalyptus trees gently swaying beyond the bleachers, it is now a charmless and aging concrete dump; a football stadium controlled by Al Davis’ ghost and the Carson Palmer-led Raiders. 

And, between the San Francisco Giants flexing their rights to Santa Clara County, and the current A’s ownership’s apparent inability to decide where the team should play (Fremont? Jack London Square? San Jose?), the team is stuck at O.co for the foreseeable future.

Unlike Moneyball, the real life movie for the Oakland A’s has no winner.

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As we patiently wait for the Theo Epstein hostage watch to play out while Boston figures out what they can extort from the Cubs, there has been some alarming thoughts on current lame-duck manager Mike Quade.

Some baseball “experts” are saying he might stay and finish out his contract next year. They are even making arguments for him staying, and giving reasons why it makes sense.

The thought is since he’s under contract, and Theo will have a lot of things to work on when he gets in, it might just be better to let him finish out his contract and bring in a new manager in 2013.

One of the arguments is there could be a better selection of managerial candidates at that time, or maybe Terry Francona can come in after taking a year off after the negative press that came out about him dies down.

There is also the thought that the Cubs won’t be ready to contend next year anyway, so why make a change.

That is completely the wrong type of thinking and hopefully Theo is smarter than that. In fact, if he thinks it does make sense for Quade to stay, then he is the wrong choice for the job.

You have to change the culture immediately. Keeping Quade means the country club atmosphere continues.

There is also a lack of respect for him that is troubling for the young players on the team like Starlin Castro. The way he doesn’t hold the veterans accountable is an example that you don’t want him to continue to see and possibly adapt himself.

Last year, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, and Carlos Zambrano showed the lack of respect they have for Quade, with Zambrano being quoted, “What manager” when he was asked a question.   

Keeping Quade also means the Cubs continue to be a fundamentally inept team.

What sense does it make to bring in a new GM and keep the same, tired old manager who showed he was in way over his head?

It doesn’t matter if the Cubs aren’t good in 2012.

The Theo Epstein era has to start with someone to tell the players what the team expects of them, and how they want them to play the game. Kirk GIbson did that in Arizona and he led them to the playoffs this year.

Bringing in a new guy and clearing out a bad coaching staff is the only way to start this new regime.

Otherwise, you waste the excitement of the Epstein hiring, whenever it happens.

All of the positive buzz about the Cubs landing the big fish will be drowned out by keeping the minnow Quade around.

Replacing him with Ryne Sandberg would make Epstein look even better in the eyes of Cub fans than he already does.

It’s time to correct the mistake made last year. Let Quade go and give Ryno the job.

Fans will be partying in the streets of Wrigleyville with the news, and hopefully in short order, there will be another kind of celebration.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think you know what I’m talking about.

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Chicago Cubs fans are hoping Theo Epstein can help them win the World Series for the first time since 1908. Unfortunately, Epstein isn’t going to step foot in the batters’ box and he’s not a Cy Young winner.

The Cubs need to inject some talent into their lineup. They hired the right man for the job, as Epstein is a personnel genius. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the Cubs should set their sights first this offseason though.

Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and a free agent after this season. He’s going to come with a hefty price tag, but the Cubs seem able and willing to shell out the dough if it means they are going to take it all next year.

There’s a huge problem though. Pujols is one of them. Would they really bring in a player whose terrorized the NL Central and the Cubs in particular?

Something tells me Cubs fans would be more than happy to forgive Pujols if he could bring them a championship. Pujols would give them a huge bat in the lineup and a legitimate superstar. They wouldn’t have to give up anything to bring him in (other than ridiculous amount of cash), and his presence alone could add double-digit wins to the organization.

On top of what he brings to the Cubs, look at what his absence would do to the Cardinals. Losing Pujols would send the Cardinals spiraling down the division standings and their World Series hopes would become a distant memory.

To make matters worse, they would have to face Pujols in the division. Not only would they be losing games because of Pujols’ absence, they would be victimized by “the Machine” both on the field and in the standings.

Bringing in Pujols would give the Cubs an elite hitter and a future Hall of Famer. Some may shy away because of the uniform he’s in, but what better way to stick it to the Cardinals than to steal their best player away?

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The Chicago Cubs are hoping that Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein will lead them to their first World Series title since 1908, but before he can do that, the two clubs must reach an agreement to allow Epstein to leave Boston, and the two sides are currently “far apart.”

The Red Sox clearly want a big return for Epstein, who is one of the best general managers in all of baseball. Boston would likely want a top Cubs prospect, lots of money or a combination of the two to let Epstein go. 

However, it’s unlikely the Cubs will part with a top-level prospect for the Red Sox GM.

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino is trying very hard to get the most he can out of the Cubs for Epstein, and he’s making the entire process hard for Chicago.

One baseball executive with knowledge of both teams said the following about Lucchino in an NBC Sports article.

Larry Lucchino is one of the most unreasonable people I have ever dealt with and because of his frayed relationship with Theo Epstein he is looking to make a point at the expense of Theo’s happiness and his desire to go to Chicago. I didn’t believe that ownership group for one second when they said that they wouldn’t stand in Theo’s way if he wanted out of Boston. They are furious that he wants out and they are trying to make a point…

With the Red Sox frustrating the Cubs, it will be interesting to see if Chicago caves to the point where they relinquish a top prospect, or even better for Boston, take on the contract of starting pitcher John Lackey, whose tenure in Boston has been an absolute disgrace.

Without Epstein, the Red Sox will have a difficult time of developing homegrown talent, which has been so key to their success in the last decade. This might be why Boston wants a top prospect from the Cubs in this negotiation.

Epstein is one of the top player development guys in the sport, which is exactly the kind of general manager the Cubs need.

The last hurdle in the Esptein-to-the-Cubs ordeal would be if Theo can take some assistants from Boston with him to Chicago.

 The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham speculated that head trainer Mike Reinold and VP of baseball operations Brian O’Hallaran could be two guys Epstein would like to bring with him to Chicago.

This certainly isn’t what the Red Sox want to see. Losing Epstein is bad enough, but losing two other important baseball people would be disastrous for a club in disarray.

Theo Epstein will likely join the Chicago Cubs at some point in the next few weeks. He needs a new challenge, and he’s run his course with the Red Sox. 

He brought the city two World Series titles, including their first in 86 years back in 2004, and with all the turmoil surrounding the team, Epstein has every right to make the best decision for his professional career.

Even if that means taking his baseball talents to the Cubs.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news and updates.  Follow @NicholasGoss35

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Theo Epstein will take control as general manager of the Chicago Cubs as soon as the Cubs and Boston Red Sox finalize the deal. Epstein takes the reins of the Cubs after the haphazard tenure of Jim Hendry.

In nine years, Hendry oversaw moderate success. Hendry’s Cubs teams made the playoffs twice and went to the National League Championship Series once.

However, Hendry didn’t do a terrific job running the baseball side of the Cubs in his nine years as general manager.

Hendry spent fortunes on players who weren’t worth their pay (e.g. Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez), and the ChiCubs minor league system was as unproductive as ever.

Epstein will be a refreshing hand leading the club. Following are five ways he’ll recalibrate the Cubs organization.

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