Theo Epstein, the Brookline native who in 2002 became baseball's youngest general manager, and in 2004 became the youngest to win a World Series, announced last night that he was leaving the Red Sox, hours before his contract was due to expire.
While the initial differences in Epstein's negotiations centered on money, those issues were bridged, to the point that multiple major league sources said over the weekend that Epstein and the club had come to an agreement on an extension.
However, issues of respect and control between Epstein and CEO/president Larry Lucchino could not be overcome, ultimately leading Epstein, 31, to reject the club's three-year, $4.5 million offer and give up what might well have been the only job he ever wanted.
Standing inside Fenway Park at 7 last night, the 11th general manager in the team's 105-year history contended that at no point had he agreed to a deal. He declined further comment, asking that a statement he issued through the team speak for itself until today, when he is expected to break his silence.
''He told me he had to clear his desk, that it was very emotional, that he had to leave the team," said former Tigers GM Bill Lajoie, Epstein's 71-year-old special assistant. ''He said he didn't have any plans but that he had to get away from the team."
Lajoie, one of Epstein's top advisers, resigned within minutes of Epstein doing so. It's possible that other baseball operations employees will also exit, especially given that assistant GM Josh Byrnes left to become the GM in Arizona last week and will be assembling a staff.
''I felt loyalty to my boss and left also," Lajoie said.
Senior baseball operations adviser Bill James, however, intends to stay put.
''Certainly I was surprised," James said. ''I love the Red Sox and have no plans to look for a new paramour."
Epstein, who brought the team to unprecedented heights -- three consecutive seasons of at least 95 wins, and three consecutive postseason appearances -- is believed to have made just $350,000 this past season, positioning him near the bottom of the league's general manager pay scale. During recent negotiations, Epstein received offers of $850,000 per year, $1.2 million per year, and then $1.5 million per year.
However, when the time came to decide, Epstein realized that money was not reason enough to stay. In his statement, Epstein called the decision to leave ''an extremely difficult one," and said he ''will always cherish the relationships I developed here.
