Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein was released from the final year of his contract with the Boston Red Sox and allowed to join the Cubs in exchange for some compensation, but the issue exact for of the consideration has still not been resolved. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe is reporting that "league sources have indicated an outcome should occur soon" as each team has submitted a list of player names to MLB Commissioner Bug Selig, who will make the final ruling.
What will Theo cost the Cubs? Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times lists an unnamed American League GM who has speculated the team will have to part with a "significant" player in the end. Epstein remained hush on the subject when recent asked, saying only: "I don't think it's appropriate for me to talk about it. No one has really talked much about it. Probably a better question for MLB."
As for Red Sox fans, the wait has already been too long. SB Nation's Red Sox blog, Over The Monster, captures the sentiment well:
..there are rumors that Bud will compensate the Red Soxto the tune of, as a source told the Globe's Nick Carfardo, "a significant player." The Chicago Tribune is reporting the two teams have made lists (and checked them twice) of players they'd be willing to part with/receive and passed them on to the commissioner's office. If there is a single player in common on those lists I'll eat dirty socks for a week. For his part, the Tribune quotes Selig as saying he wants to move, "as expeditiously as possible." So this whole issue should be behind us somewhere around President Bieber's second term.
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