25 October 2011

Cubs to Introduce Theo Epstein Tuesday

The wait is over, Cubs fans.

After days of back-and-forth negotiations with the Boston Red Sox, the Cubs at 11 a.m. Tuesday officially will announce Theo Epstein as team president of baseball operations.

It feels like it's been a long time coming. Epstein reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Cubs worth more than $15 million nearly two weeks ago.

From there the Red Sox and Cubs went into negotiation mode, battling for how much Chicago should compensate Boston for the GM wunderkind and whether members of Epstein's front office staff would move with him to Chicago.

There were numerous reports and speculation about the progression of talks. At one point rumor had it that Epstein sneaked into Wrigley Field for a quiet interview.

And then on Friday, it was done -- nearly. In a joint statement, the teams announced Epstein's resignation as GM of the Red Sox to join the Cubs.

No financial details were released, though, and baseball commissioner Bud Selig gave the teams until Nov. 1 to agree on compensation for Epstein. If not, Selig said he would intervene.

Epstein arrived at Wrigley Monday to meet staff, but he makes his first public appearance on Cubs turf Tuesday. The Red Sox, for their part, will name his successor in a separate Tuesday conference.

San Diego GM Jed Hoyer is expected to leave the Padres to become the Cubs' general manager, but questions remain about who -- Ryne Sandberg, perhaps? -- will be hired as manager.

It's too soon to tell if Epstein can bring the Cubs to a World Series, but one thing's for sure: The North Side team is under new management.

See a live stream of the 11 a.m. news conference right here on NBCChicago.com and on NBC Nonstop.

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