[1977Hawkeye]

All speculation at this point, but:

Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona could part ways - ESPN Boston

Thoughts? If Francona isn't back, would Boston's loss be someone else's gain? Or is it time for TF to move on? The guy won 2 championships for them after an 86 year drought, so I'm sure someone else would love to hire Francona if he is fired or moves on.

[DJL]

I'm sure the Cubs could use him, and Epstein for that matter. At this point, you have to try anything to end the drought.

[1977Hawkeye]

I was thinking the same thing.

The manager is the least of the Cubs problems, but getting a GM in Epstein that put together a team than won 2 championships couldn't be the worst thing in the world IMO. A Francona/Epstein package deal sounds ok to me..

[hawkfarmer]

Gotta get the players first. Don't spend a ton of money on a manager. Francona wouldn't have won many more games this year than Quade did. have to have the players to win, then the manager matters.

[Churlish79]

There's been chatter about the ChiSox going after him.

He was a coach in the ChiSox system earlier in his career.

[goods10]

ESPN is trying to force Francona and Theo to the Cubs.

[trj]

Originally Posted by Churlish79

There's been chatter about the ChiSox going after him.

He was a coach in the ChiSox system earlier in his career.

Guillen is in Florida. Is Ken Williams out? Francona/Esptien seem to be a package deal to the white Sox.

[trj]

Originally Posted by goods10

ESPN is trying to force Francona and Theo to the Cubs.

I would take Ken Williams on the North side as a fall back.

[1977Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by hawkfarmer

Gotta get the players first. Don't spend a ton of money on a manager. Francona wouldn't have won many more games this year than Quade did. have to have the players to win, then the manager matters.

Agreed.. I'm more focused on who the Cubs' next GM will be, moreso than the manager. The manager won't matter much if the front office is a nightmare.

[DJL]

[QUOTE=1977Hawkeye;537008]Agreed.. I'm more focused on who the Cubs' next GM will be, moreso than the manager. The manager won't matter much if the front office is a nightmare.[/QUOTE

A nightmare is a good way to describe the organization as a whole right now. It's probably going to be a a few years to get rid of the terrible contracts, develop some talent, and get back to the playoffs. It's going to be a huge challenge for any GM. However the Cubs do have one thing that many teams don't; money. But as the Cubs have found out, money is only good if you spend it wisely.

[mbchawk]

And the Chisox have tied up big money on 3 duds for several more years. So, they have little to no wiggle room or future unless they can find a way to unload them (Dunn/Rios/Peavy). Big money long term contracts to free agents hardly ever work out good. I don't understand why the GM's keep doing it.

[Churlish79]

Originally Posted by mbchawk

And the Chisox have tied up big money on 3 duds for several more years. So, they have little to no wiggle room or future unless they can find a way to unload them (Dunn/Rios/Peavy). Big money long term contracts to free agents hardly ever work out good. I don't understand why the GM's keep doing it.

All the ChiSox can hope for is that their big guns produce next year.

It's been said by many people in the media that follow baseball.. if you look at the Sox lineup, it should compete easily in the ALCentral.

The ChiSox have the luxury of playing in a highly inconsistent division which has money issues among the other members. The ChiSox should be able to dominate their division.. but CAN'T. It's fairly telling.

[HawkeyeMike23]

Firing Francona would be dumb, managers don't really affect the on-field results at all. But his personality seemed a pretty good fit for that team. It's not his fault he had terrible starting pitching for a solid month.

I'm not sure I really want Epstein to get the Cubs GM job, I don't think he's terrible but he's made a lot of mistakes over the last few years. I think there are a lot of better options out there, Andrew Freidman obviously being number one.

[DJL]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeMike23

Firing Francona would be dumb, managers don't really affect the on-field results at all. But his personality seemed a pretty good fit for that team. It's not his fault he had terrible starting pitching for a solid month.

I'm not sure I really want Epstein to get the Cubs GM job, I don't think he's terrible but he's made a lot of mistakes over the last few years. I think there are a lot of better options out there, Andrew Freidman obviously being number one.

Agree on Freidman, he does a lot with a little. Disagree on the Managers not affecting on-field results. I don't think this year was on Francona, because of injuries and huge flops like Crawford. But the way a Manager handles the pitching staff, motivates the team, and day-to-day strategy absolutely affects on-field play.

[bwsmoney]

scoop them up, Ricketts