Epstein Rejects Extension Amid Deteriorating Relationships

Epstein Declines Contract Extension, Resigns As Red Sox GM

Red Sox Senior VP & GM Theo Epstein has declined the team’s offer for a contract extension. Epstein will continue to work with the organization for several days to assist in the transition and help prepare for the annual GM meetings next week. Epstein in a statement said, “My decision not to return as [GM] is an extremely difficult one. ... I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization. During the process leading up to today’s decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so” (THE DAILY).

WHAT “SOURED” THEO? In Boston, Michael Silverman notes Epstein declined the Red Sox’ offer for a three-year contract extension worth $1.5M annually. Sources said that a “key factor that ultimately soured Epstein” was a Sunday column by the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, “which revealed too much inside information about the relationship between Epstein and his mentor, [Red Sox President & CEO] Larry Lucchino, and slanted the coverage” in Lucchino’s favor. Epstein believed that Lucchino was “a primary source behind the column and came to the realization that if this information was leaked hours before he was going to agree to a long-term deal, excessive bad faith existed between the two.” Despite a report in Monday’s Globe that Epstein had agreed to the contract extension, Silverman wrote he “had not made up his mind about accepting the job before going to bed Sunday night” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1).

LAYING THE BLAME ON LUCCHINO: The back-page headline of today’s BOSTON HERALD reads, “Thanks Larry.” The front-page of the paper also highlights Epstein’s departure, with one subhead reading, “How The Globe Blew It” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1). The HERALD’S Tony Massarotti writes Lucchino “botched this from Day One.” Losing Epstein “will go down as one of the great management blunders in the history of the franchise” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1). In Hartford, Jeff Jacobs writes “perceptions that Lucchino couldn’t live without the control is a reality he’ll have to combat” (HARTFORD COURANT, 11/1). But ESPN’s Peter Gammons said, “People are going to bash Larry Lucchino here. I don’t believe that Larry Lucchino was the source of the leaks of a lot of the stuff that came out.” Gammons added money “was not the issue. ... (Epstein) is an extremely private person, and all the PR and hype that sometimes goes with that organization bothered him” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 10/31).

STEELY DAN: The BOSTON GLOBE’s Shaughnessy on Sunday wrote, “Lucchino-bashers ... maintain that he repeatedly has undermined Theo and on occasion killed deals made by Epstein and the minions. There was one, for sure,” a proposed trade with the Rockies (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/30). Shaughnessy today writes that according to “the version put forth by Epstein’s camp, Lucchino killed the deal unilaterally, damaging Epstein’s reputation with the Rockies and other clubs. Lucchino was routinely trashed by” ESPN’s Gammons and the Rocky Mountain News’ Tracy Ringolsby, among others. Lucchino’s camp indicated that the deal had been made by then-Red Sox Assistant GM Josh Byrnes, “but Theo preferred to make a different trade with Arizona and asked Lucchino to invoke the ownership clause, squash the deal, and take the hit.” Shaughnessy writes Epstein may have seen “that version in the Sunday Globe and had second thoughts about a future of working with Lucchino. ... I choose to believe that Epstein is smarter and more mature” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/1).

CONFLICTED INTEREST? Much of today’s debate around Epstein’s departure centers around the New York Times’ ownership of the Boston Globe and its 17% stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Red Sox, Fenway Park and 80% of NESN. In Boston, Scott Van Voorhis writes media experts believe that the Globe’s reporting “raises serious questions about the role these ownership ties may have played in the paper’s reporting” on the Epstein-Lucchino issue. Media Access Project CEO Andrew Schwartzman: “It is an inherent conflict of interest. There is a tension between the demands to generate business synergy and the increasing pressure that media companies have to maintain public trust.” Timothy Karr of the media watchdog group Free Press added, “This is the problem with conglomerated media. When the ownership of media companies have separate interests ... there is a tendency to compromise the reporting” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1).

Observer Feels Lucchino Was Not Ready To Turn Over Keys To Red Sox

SPLIT DECISION: In Providence, Sean McAdam cites a Red Sox insider as describing “what was left of the relationship between Lucchino and Epstein as ‘a mess.’” Lucchino “chafed at Epstein’s use” of the five-year, $12.5M offer the Red Sox made to A’s GM Billy Beane in ‘02 “as a benchmark [for his own contract], claiming it had little relevance to the negotiations.” Epstein “was miffed that after accomplishing all of ownership’s goals ... that the Red Sox were ‘slotting’ his salary” (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 11/1). In Boston, Chris Snow writes “issues of respect and control” between Epstein and Lucchino “could not be overcome” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/1). The GLOBE’s Bob Ryan: “Theo lost a power struggle with Lucchino. ... This is what happens when your owner is a man like John Henry, who is nonconfrontational and isn’t all that big in dealing with people. ... In order to make sure he doesn’t have to deal with people, he hires Larry Lucchino” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/1). SI.com’s Chris Mannix writes the negotiations “were about Epstein wanting to sit at the head of the table and Lucchino being unwilling to give up the seat. ... He’s not about to turn over the keys to his 31-year-old protégé” (SI.com, 11/1). McAdam wrote on ESPN.com that it was “difficult for Lucchino to view Epstein as anything other than his protégé. But when Epstein dug in his heels and Henry entered the picture last week, the team’s hard-line negotiating stance softened some.” However, Lucchino and Epstein “had a number of philosophical differences” (ESPN.com, 10/31). ESPN’s Gammons wrote “there isn’t a team in the business where the GM doesn’t have to answer to ownership” (ESPN.com, 10/31).

TRAGIC HERO: In Boston, Gerry Callahan: “No one is ever going to think of Theo as the bad guy. He looks, if nothing else, like a man of principle, a guy who didn’t like the way his bosses were going behind his back and spoon-feeding stories to their favorite newspaper. ... Theo believes Lucchino and Charles Steinberg violated the agreement [to keep his contract negotiation private]. They did their best to make him look like he was just trying to cash in, and he did the opposite” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1).

MORE FALLOUT: The BOSTON GLOBE’s Snow reports Red Sox Special Assistant to the GM Bill Lajoie “resigned within minutes of Epstein doing so” and it is “possible that other baseball operations employees will also exit, especially given that” Byrnes left to become D’Backs GM and will start to assemble a staff. Red Sox Senior Baseball Operations Adviser Bill James intends to stay (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/1). ESPN’s Gammons: “There’s a very good possibility with Theo leaving that most of the front office will depart and go to Arizona as well” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 10/31).

PLAYER RELATIONS: Red Sox P Curt Schilling said Epstein “wanted more control of a team that had his name on it, and they wouldn’t give it to him. I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t give the [GM] what he needs to put this team together. This is going to have a dramatic effect on our team” (BOSTON HERALD, 11/1). Free agent 1B Kevin Millar: “It’s a huge loss for the Red Sox.” Free agent CF Johnny Damon: “Who’s going to be calling the shots? Can we put a GM in place right away? Maybe it’s going to be Lucchino who tries to iron out the free agency and tries to figure out what team we’re going to go with” (MLB.com, 10/31).