Even while Theo Epstein was in the process of leaving the Boston Red Sox to join the Chicago Cubs, one of the big questions surrounding the entire move was how the Cubs would be compensating the Sox. Epstein was under contract with Boston for 2012, after all, so the Red Sox had to let him out of his old contract before he could sign the new one in Chicago.
That's all happened already, but the little matter of compensating Boston still hasn't been figured out, so MLB is giving the two teams extra time to sort the situation out, as current Red Sox GM Ben Cherington told ESPN Boston. Initially, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said that he would intervene in negotiations if a deal wasn't struck by Nov. 1, but he's apparently granted a one-week extension to see if both sides can find some middle ground.
Cherington was promoted by the Red Sox to replace Epstein after his departure, and now the two are trying to figure out together how to provide Boston with value for the whole ordeal. I wouldn't be surprised if things aren't worked out, though, and Selig has to intervene. That could be good news for Cubs fans, too, as Selig likely won't want Boston to receive major compensation because of the future implications that it would have for the future of executives.
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