Was there any doubt? The Boy Wonder is clearly Boston’s GM of the Decade, taking the job over officially for the 2003 season.
2000-2001 was the death throes of former Boy Wonder Dan Duquette, who was responsible for bringing Pedro Martinez to town, and … that’s about it. Duquette sometimes didn’t understand how to properly construct a roster or interact with the media. In his defense, he did put together solid postseason-caliber teams and had a deft hand in picking players up off the scrap heap. (Bret Saberhagen, Troy O’Leary, etc.)
2002 was with Mike Port at the helm as interim GM although some have said that Epstein was the one running things behind the scenes.
Whatever the case, Boston courted Oakland GM Billy Beane heavily following the 2002 season, and a deal was thought to be in place. The contract was a go. Oakland’s compensation (Kevin Youkilis) was a go. And then… Beane got cold feet. California was home. He pulled out, and Boston was left without a GM.
Epstein was eventually settled on as GM, and he got right to work, bringing in players off the scrap heap — or at least, being undervalued. Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, Bronson Arroyo, Todd Walker, Mike Timlin. He guided the team to Game 7 of the ALCS (Fire Brand archive: Analyzing Theo: 2003, 10/30/05.), then followed it up with a ring in 2004. He did all this under the mandate of building a strong and prosperous farm system, relying on free agents to complement, not dominate. His goal of a 95-win team every year has been remarkably consistent.
2004 saw Epstein firmly put his stamp on the team, hiring manager Terry Francona to lead the club. Curt Schilling was acquired. Mark Bellhorn and Keith Foulke were brought in. And midseason, Epstein, who grew up a Red Sox fan, threw apart the last vestiges of fandom when he dealt Nomar Garciaparra. (Fire Brand archive: Analyzing Theo: 2004, 11/1/05.)
Epstein chafed under president Larry Lucchino’s influence, however. It all came to a head after 2005 (Fire Brand archive: Analyzing Theo: 2005, 11/4/05.), a season mired in inflated egos following the ’04 title and attrition. On Halloween, he snuck out of Fenway Park in a gorilla costume to avoid reporters and resigned as GM of the Red Sox. “This is a job you have to give your whole heart and soul to,” he said to The Boston Globe. “In the end, after a long period of reflection about myself and the program, I decided I could no longer put my whole heart and soul into it.”
As Lucchino valiantly tried to press forward in finding a new general manager, owner John Henry was in the middle of trying to mend fences. He succeeded, and Epstein returned on January 16, 2006 to a far different team. Co-GMs Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer along with adviser Bill Lajoie had shipped out prospect Hanley Ramirez, amongst others, for Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett. (Lowell and Beckett are on the All-Aughts Team of the Decade as well.) While Epstein and Lucchino have been able to co-exist so far, there are still questions.
Epstein oversaw a 2006 team that he knew was going to underperform as it was a transition year. He patiently waited for the farm system to bear fruit, then saw Boston win another World Series in 2007. His legacy was cemented. (Fire Brand archive: That’s why he’s GM, 5/2/07.)
Epstein then oversaw the 2008 (signing a contract extension that reportedly takes him through 2011) and 2009 teams (the former coming within one game of the American League pennant) win 95 games. After the 2009 season, Epstein remarked that 2010 (and possibly 2011) were to be considered “bridge” years. (Fire Brand archive: Epstein warning fans about Sox downturn in ’10? 12/7/09.) He signed John Lackey, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre (and brought in a gaggle of other players) to help keep the team competitive until the farm system bears fruit again in 2012.
Epstein has his share of failures. The Doug Mirabelli panic trade shipping out Josh Bard and Cla Meredith. The signings of Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo. (This all could have been avoided by resigning Orlando Cabrera, which may be Theo’s biggest misstep as a Red Sox.) He is far from perfect, and the club’s recent trend of bitter departures by former stars lands squarely at his feet as representative of Boston. Epstein has also been criticized for not going to the jugular. Hanging onto his prospects a little too tightly. Not getting Mark Teixeira when he was all but wrapped up in a bow for Boston. For all his missteps, however, he’s made up for them — and more.
Epstein, entering his eighth year on the job at age 36, is already the best general manager the Red Sox have ever had. While it’s unknown how long Epstein will remain on the job, it’s entirely possible he does so for another decade — even two more decades. Only time will tell if he eventually decides to start over with another team or leave general managing aside and dive into other aspects of life. At least he’ll always have the All-Aughts Team of the Decade GM award.