It’s been exactly two months since former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein left his post on Boston to become the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. This weekend will also mark the two-month anniversary of Ben Cherington‘s introduction as Epstein’s successor.
Yet here we are — heading into the holidays — with no resolution on the compensation the Red Sox should be receiving from the Cubs. The only morsel of news came on Tuesday when Boston’s brass barred Epstein from hiring members of the organization for the next three years.
At this point, it’s time to call upon The Commish. Although Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig initially established a Nov. 1 deadline, he backed off that stance, conceding that Cherington and Epstein had bigger priorities with their new positions.
While the duo is certainly occupied, the nonchalant approach to the negotiating is setting a negative precedent. Considering Epstein already bolted, the Sox likely won’t receive more than a below-average prospect or two.
It’s a far cry from other compensation packages in history. A recent deal between Miami and Chicago in September validates that.
When White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen agreed to terms with Miami, the Marlins’ brain trust shipped top prospects in Jhan Marinez and Osvaldo Martinez –- ranked the fourth and fifth prospects in the organization, respectively — to Chicago as compensation.
That transaction occurred one day after Guillen left, by the way.
In 2003, the Rays took a larger leap of faith, trading starting outfielder Randy Winn to the Mariners for manager Lou Piniella and infielder Antonio Perez.
Even in football, teams have been quickly and fairly compensated. In 2002, the Buccaneers sent a pair of first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and cash to the Raiders for the rights to sign head coach Jon Gruden.
The most comparable example to the Red Sox’ current situation was when the Twins shipped general manager Andy MacPhail to the Cubs in 1994 for minor league pitcher Hector Trinidad, who never rose to the majors.
But the most stunning part is that Epstein is worth more than MacPhail, Piniella, Guillen and Gruden. The general manager helped build two World Series-winning teams, including one that ended the organization’s 86-year title drought.
The Cubs are banking on Epstein to assist with ending their 103-year championship drought, so he clearly has value and the Red Sox aren’t capitalizing.
Even last week, Cherington didn’t show much urgency with finding a resolution.
“I think sometime in the next 15-20 years we should have a resolution,” he joked in a conference call. “I think at some point this offseason we will put that to bed. People get tired of this answer, but it’s mostly because we’ve had other things to do.”
Again, that is understood, but it’s a missed opportunity to snag a key player. When the Red Sox had leverage in October, they were positioned to work out a deal to grab someone like Matt Garza to bolster the rotation.
Now, the time has come and gone. That’s why it’s time for Selig to step in and ensure fair compensation.
