In the next two weeks or so you will see lots of stories about the negotiations between the Red Sox and Cubs breaking down regarding the compensation for Theo Epstein. Don't waste your time reading stories like this.
Theo Epstein will be announced as the new Cubs GM but it won't be until after the World Series. Everyone knows that. MLB has an embargo on announcements until then because they don't want anything or anyone to take attention away from the games. Everyone involved knows that. Remember how MLB treated A-Rod as a douchebag when he announced during the World Series that he was opting out of his Yankees contract a few years ago?
That doesn't mean that a certain anxiety won't become prevalent. The Cubs and Red Sox represent the two most neurotic fan bases on the planet. The media will feed that neurosis. Don't fall for it. The Cubs want Theo Epstein and will pay a fair compensation price - my guess is one top prospect. The Red Sox will act like they hold all the cards but they don't want Epstein back at this point because the offseason has already become a three-ring circus. They don't need the return of Theo to make things into a further national joke. MLB in turn will see to it the deal is completed.
The whole situation reminds me of the great movie The Quiet Man. In the movie there is a problem with the dowry and John Wayne calls the brother-in-laws bluff by returning the wife and thus shaming his family. Picturing Larry Lucchino as a less manly Squire "Red" Will Danaher also amuses me.
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