Taking Center Stage?

Or Is Theo Still Stringing Us Along?

"I definitely will get back into baseball eventually, where things turn
you never know." -- 1.05.06, Theo Epstein

At the Jamspot recording studio in Somerville, former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein rehearses for his upcoming gig on January 8 at the Paradise Rock Club where he will play guitar in the Sixth Annual Hot Stove, Cool Music show. The concert will raise money for the Jimmy Fund and for Theo's Foundation To Be Named Later, a branch of the Red Sox Foundation which benefits eight other charities. Epstein was rehearsing for the show at the recording studio today.

From Theo Talks Red Sox
Epstein Defends Red Sox Offseason Moves,
Responds to Rumors About His Return

Jan. 6, 2006: Former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein took to the radio airwaves this morning, defending the Red Sox’ offseason moves and responding to the speculation that he may return to the team in some capacity.

“I really haven’t gone into all the substantive reasons why I left,” Epstein told Boston radio station KISS-108’s Matt Siegel this morning. “I think that’s probably the right thing to do, but there were reasons why I left and it was a tough decision, left a lot of great friendships, left a great organization, left a lot of work that we still had ahead of us but in the end I thought it was for the right reasons as difficult as it was.”

More comments from Epstein during the interview:

On reports that Red Sox owner John Henry was caught off guard by his resignation:

“I don’t think he was necessarily surprised because in the final days we had been talking and he certainly knew this was a strong possibility but I think he was genuinely disappointed as I was genuinely disappointed and I enjoyed, and still do enjoy, a very close relationship with him, working relationship and professional one and it was hard on both of us to see this interruption in that relationship at least from a professional standpoint. I don’t think he was shocked but I do think he was disappointed as I was.”

Would Johnny Damon be a Yankee if he were still Red Sox GM?

“Probably, given the way it’s gone down. I hate to comment on negotiations when I’m not directly involved in them but I’ll say this, I don’t think anyone’s at fault for the way things transpired. Johnny did what was best for him and his family. The Yankees, given the need they had at leadoff and in center field, did the right thing for them. They did a good job in the negotiation. And the Red Sox offered $10 million a year and really adhered to the philosophy of setting a value on a player, remaining disciplined through the course of the negotiation, a philosophy that played a large role in 95-plus wins three years in a row and as tough as it is when you lose players, as tough as it is on the fans, that philosophy will serve the fans well in the long run because it will lead to winning teams.”

Did he make a mistake in signing Edgar Renteria to a four-year contract to play shortstop for the Red Sox last winter?

“Oh yeah, I think I did based on the results in the first year. I think we got bad results the first year (but) I think the process was good. We had excellent scouting reports universally across the board excellent scouting reports on Edgar and we’d done our subjective work and our objective work on him and we thought he was a great fit for whatever reason, physically he wasn’t the same player last year that he was and I think one of the reasons the Red Sox were open to moving him was that we… they just couldn’t take the risk that that would be the way he’d play the game going forward so he certainly could bounce back and be the player that he was for the rest of his career but if he doesn’t, that would really hurt the Red Sox at a key position so that trade was in both team’s best interest. The Red Sox were able to acquire one of the top two or three prospects in the whole game in Andy Marte. And the Braves were able to get a guy, who for all but one season, had really been one of the better shortstops in the game and fits their ball club perfectly.”

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