Come on Boston Media...

[EDGECRUSHER]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1372633&pos=breaking

Get out your vilifying sticks, because one of your own may be leaving town. Theo Epstein is heavily rumored to be taking the Cubs GM job. On his way out, he will probably be trashed and said to be a total cancer and imbecile, as is tradition when someone leaves the Red Sox.

Personally speaking, I hope he leaves because while he cannot pick a free agent to save his life, he was the best GM Boston ever had. He wasn't perfect, but he was a Top 10 GM IMO, and who knows who his replacement will be.

[MaineDolFan]

I'm not sure I agree.  I've been saying this for a long time, however.  I can make a list of bad free agent signings.  I know all teams can do this, however Boston's are even worse because of the over payment of these signings.  These bad FA signings = players that weren't brought in (or looked at) who might have helped the franchise.  In every case, Boston greatly outshot the market:

*Matt Clement (out spent highest bidder by over $3 million)
*John Smoltz (out spent highest bidder by over $2 million)
*Edgar Renteria (out spent highest bidder by over $6 million.  Ending up paying Atlanta to take him, he remained on Boston's books for three seasons after he left)
*Daisuke Matsuzaka (posting fee was a bidding process.  Boston paid $51 million just to speak to him.  Next highest bid was around $27 million)
*Julio Lugo (out spent highest bidder by over $5 million.  Ending up paying his salary until this past season in order to jettison him)
*J.D. Drew (next highest bidder was willing to pay Drew 9 million per year, Boston's offer came in at 15 million per year)
*Carl Crawford (6 years / 148 million.  Next highest offer was 5 years / 108 million)
*Bobby Jenks (12 million / 2 years.  Next highest offer was Rangers at 1 year / 8 million)
*Mike Cameron (2 years / $15.5 million for a 37 year old outfielder...reports have surfaced that Cameron only had minor league invites outside of Boston's offer to date)

Shall I continue?  Lackey?  Wheeler?  Ramiro Mendoza?  David Wells?  Joel Piniero?  You can almost throw Keith Foulke in this group.  After 2004 he completely and utterly imploded.  He was on Boston's books until 2009, yet never to be heard from again after 2005.

These are not only bad signings, they took up a lot of financial resources.  These weren't "low risk, high rewards" type signings.  Any ONE of those bad signings above would cripple a franchise for five years and limit their ability to spend.

I give him a partial pass on trades, however only slight.  Theo brought in players that showed they could flourish in Boston, only to let them walk.  Jason Bay was a wrecking machine in Boston and played LF well.  He's never been the same since a concussion after joining the Mets.  He's a massive "what could have been" in Boston after putting up a year and a half of amazingly good numbers. 

V-Mart?  Same deal.  Let him walk.  He gets Beltre on a bargain shopping, sees what he has in the guy and lets him walk. 

Mark my words - Boston will most likely lose, or have to deal, Ellsbury because of the Crawford signing.  Anyone really think Boras is going to let Ellsbury sign a deal less than Crawford's?  Anyone else think Boston can tie up 40 million in the outfield?  Crawford's deal is amazingly bad.  By 2014 he will be making 21 million per year.

He put the right people in place to develop a sound farm system, yes.  A lot of those pieces were also left to rot while he continued to run out and grab guys like J.D. Drew.

Put Theo in a position where he can't spend more than $90 million per year.  Additionally, make that place one where he can't "hide" bad signings (IE, if he signs Lugo he's stuck with him for the duration).  See how well he does then. 

I have always said, and will continue to say, he's "okay."  He's also overrated.

[MaineDolFan]

May I also add the following?

I've never been so disgusted to be a fan of a team in my life.

This ownership group, IMO, is showing it's true colors.  You don't see someone's true character when they're up, it's when they are down.  Boston is down.  They haven't won a play off game in three years.  Haven't made the playoffs in two.  This is the "hardest spot" this group has been in, since taking over.

Once people start leaving - stories start to surface.  I know all too well how that works, I used to be part of that "system."  Now that Terry is gone, stories about his marriage problems and pain medication use are coming out.  Disgusting.  Clearly I do not know Terry on a personal level.  Never had a beer with the guy (but would love to).  Our relationship was always professional.  The guy always made time for me, he certainly did not need to.  There were plenty of "name" guys he needed to keep happy (Edes, etc).  I was just a small fish from a small pond trying to do my job.  Terry was always professional.  I do not believe for a second stories about personal demons keeping him from doing his job. 

Now things are starting to fly about Theo.  No secret: I don't think the guy is that good.  I don't believe in building a team the way he does.  Difference?  He's RUNNING a team, I'm not.  He has two WS rings, I don't.  Now, all the sudden, things are coming out:  Management "didn't want Lackey but trusted Theo that he knew what he was doing."  Upper management expressed "great concern about Crawford but trusted that Theo knew what he was doing."

Bull crap.  Plain and simple.  These are not "hands off" owners.  Theo's hands are / were tied in a lot of ways.  I hate both signings noted, I really do.  However, Lackey was the best FA arm available at the time.  Boston needed an arm.  So they got him.  Crawford was a "five tool player."  Boston needed an LF.  So they went and got him.  Both players were vetted by ownership.  Christ, Henry paid a P.I. to tail Crawford for two months to make sure he was a "character" guy.  That wasn't Theo.

This ownership group is more concerned with selling $60 memberships to "Red Sox Nation" and "100 year bricks" to Fenway versus the actual product on the field.  They want headlines, sold out Fenway and people buying jerseys.  That's fine.  They need to generate income.  Know what else generates income?  A winning team.  Character guys.  Accountability.

I am seeing people tossed under the bus.  I don't like it.  It's hard to stomach.  Tito is 100% class.  Amazing manager.  He doesn't deserve to be smeared out the door.  Theo is a smart guy, hard worker and did a lot at the directive of someone else.  He, also, doesn't deserve to be smeared out the door.

[bsfins]

Hey,Hey,....Hey...Hey.....There is nothing wrong with a 40 million dollar outfield.... (Soriano 19 mil,Byrd 5.5 Mil,Fukudome 14.5 Mil )

I'm torn on the Epstein move....The NL Central there are no Steinbrenner's to keep up with in the division....It's more like the Survivor tag line outwit,outplay,outlast...

So his free agent moves are Jim Hendry light,add full no trade clauses to every contract,over pay,add an extra year or two...

I don't think the Cubs have a lot of young talent,but have lots of money wrapped up in bad personnel....I think that was a sign when they talked about September call ups,and it was said...Well there really isn't anyone in AAA that you want to bring up to see in the majors right now...Coleman,Lahair,and do you want to start the MLB service clock on Brett Jackson....

Young talent you have Cashner,Castro,and Brett Jackson...(there are supposedly some guys in the Low minors,So I've read?)

I think he's brought in for his name,to get funding for Wrigley field,develop the minor leagues.I think there is less pressure,to win the world series every year...I think it's a good move for he Cubs....

I see the the Boston situation like the line in Bull Durham,about the shower shoes....
Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob

It seems because they lost,everything in the locker room/behind the scenes is the worst thing in the world,but if they won it would be they're colorful...Everything was OK till they lost....

From the outside, I like Terry Francona,I don't watch a lot of Red Sox games....

My 2 cents...

[MaineDolFan]

This:

"I see the the Boston situation like the line in Bull Durham,about the shower shoes....
Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob"

Is excellent.  GREAT point.

One thing about Theo that you WILL love?  He will whip that farm system into shape.  Fairly quickly, too.  He knows how to get the right people into the right places.  Give it two / three seasons and Cubs will have a top 5ish farm system.  Boston's looks "weak" right now, however it's not.  They have amazing A and AA talent, SOME AAA.  Boston's system is a monster a little further down, they dealt a lot of "MLB ready" guys earlier (or they are on the roster now).

[Dave Gray]

The way that Sox management is dealing with these guys leaving is super bush-league, because they're trying to keep the stink off of themselves.

The only thing to do in this situation is to thank Francona and Epstein for returning the team to glory and wish them well.  Then make it clear that things had slipped from what Red Sox fans deserve and vow to get a new team in place to whip things into shape.

[MaineDolFan]

The way that Sox management is dealing with these guys leaving is super bush-league, because they're trying to keep the stink off of themselves.

In the process they have hurt their own brand.  One would think they would know their audience a little better.  Say what you will about Boston sports fans.  One thing they are?  Loyal.  One thing they are not (collectively)?  Stupid.  This market is in a frenzy over this right now.  I didn't think it was possible for Henry's group to draw the immediate and crushing hatred from their own fan base, literally over night.  They have, though.  Everyone feels awful for Tito.

[EDGECRUSHER]

You're right Maine, I think I am just looking at how well he handles the farm system and not much else. I knew he was terrible with free agent signings, but I am struggling to find ONE that was good.

The thing is though, while he was flawed, the future is unknown and that can be scary. "Stick with the Devil you know" is the phrase that comes to mind. I didn't like George Steinbrenner's meddling and thought it was the worst. Here comes Hank Steinbrenner to give a 32 year old A-Rod a 10 year/$300 Million albatross.

My theory is that everyone in sports is a great guy until something bad happens, then the truth/smear campaign comes out. Yeah, Jorge Posada is such a fighter and great teammate. Jorge hits .190, takes himself out of a lineup and the stories of his arrogance and stubbornness come to light. Jeter hits .230 before he gets his 3,000th hit and his pride and douchey behavior come to light. Happens all the time.

[MaineDolFan]

^One positive for Boston is the "incoming" GM.  He's been Theo's assistant GM for the past eight years (and was "co GM" when Theo split in 2005).  Ben is also widely credited for being a real "behind the scenes" guy on the minor league development.  Should be seemless.

[EDGECRUSHER]

John Henry did a radio interview today where he stated he didn't want Carl Crawford. I wouldn't be surprised if this is true, but shut the hell up about it. You are stuck with this guy for the next 6 years unless he retires, so make the most of it.

[Landshark]

The fallout in Boston continues.  Let's just hope Theo's replacement is as good as advertised.

[EDGECRUSHER]

If he is a part of the minor league development side, then he may be a big improvement over Theo because you don't lose any ground there and you probably gain ground by not having someone give Carl Crawford $1 Billion.