Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein has "made it clear that his focus is on getting the Cubs ready for next season," and that he and Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts "expect things to remain 'status quo' going into 2021," according to Russell Dorsey of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Epstein yesterday said, "My expectation is that I’ll be here." Epstein has "held the belief that change after 10 years is necessary and didn’t shy away from those feelings" yesterday. He is entering the final year of the second five-year deal he signed in '16. Meanwhile, Dorsey writes if the Cubs have to look for a new president at the end of next season, the "most likely candidate would be" current GM Jed Hoyer, who has been "one of the principal cogs in the Cubs’ baseball-operations department since 2011 and would make for the smoothest transition" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/6). In Chicago, Maddie Lee noted the subject of Epstein’s eventual departure is "sure to be more pressing than in years past." Epstein said, "We’ve had talks over the years on a semi-regular basis about the future and what it looks like, the importance of being aware of potential transitions and planning for them. But now that the season's over, those discussions move to another phase where they're more concrete and we have to do an open, honest thorough accounting of where we are as an organization" (NBCSPORTSCHICAGO.com, 10/5).
WAITING IN THE WING: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes Epstein "sticking around" in '21 is "good news." It "should be up to" Epstein to "make the changes necessary to get the Cubs back to contender status, and he’ll have all offseason to figure out how to do it as quickly as possible." Hoyer will "seamlessly slide into the role at the appropriate time," making '21 "basically a transition year for Hoyer, who has waited patiently for his chance." Perhaps it will be a transition year in which Epstein "lets Hoyer make all of the major decisions while he sits back and maps out his future." It is "hard to imagine Epstein ceding control of anything, but if he would do it for anyone, it certainly would be his friend and partner" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/6).
