The Red Sox made major headlines Friday by announcing the news that Theo Epstein is returning as a senior advisor to Fenway Sports Group and part-owner of the team, catching many in the industry by surprise. The timing of the move, however, is no coincidence.
According to people with an understanding of the arrangement between Epstein and the Red Sox, he was brought back into the fold, at least in part, due to Red Sox ownership privately acknowledging that they have, at times, not given the club the attention it has deserved in recent years as the FSG portfolio has rapidly grown.
Epstein, despite taking on a part-time, behind-the-scenes advisory role that includes involvement in all of FSG’s properties, will be in part tasked with re-instituting processes and lines of communication that made the Red Sox so successful during his tenure as general manager from 2003 to 2011. Despite team president Sam Kennedy and others repeatedly reaffirming the ownership group’s commitment to the Red Sox publicly, within the organization, there has been an internal realization that the club needs to be more of a priority for FSG — and that winning fans back is paramount after three last-place finishes in four years and a disappointing offseason that has included inconsistent rhetoric from team brass.
Epstein’s role with FSG will allow him to be involved in all of the group’s properties and allow him to work for a multi-sport conglomerate for the first time in his career. He will be an advisor for not just the Red Sox, but also for Liverpool FC, the Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing, Boston Common Golf and the group’s other endeavors. The press release announcing Epstein’s role noted that “the company’s sporting operations across the portfolio and consult on strategic growth and investment initiatives.”
While Epstein will have a behind-the-scenes voice with Liverpool (which will be tasked with finding a new manager after the departure of Jürgen Klopp), the Penguins (whose GM, Kyle Dubas, is one of the youngest in hockey and is in some ways similar to Epstein) and other ventures, it’s clear his experience with the Red Sox will lend itself to him spending a significant amount of time working with the team.
Epstein will mostly work out of his Connecticut home and will not, like he did as GM, be making decisions for the club or be intimately involved in day-to-day operations. His role will be more process-oriented, allowing him to take a wide-ranging look at the organization and to lend an ear to a group of key people who have history with him and trust him.
Epstein’s relationship with Kennedy, a childhood friend, is well-documented, but he also remains close with FSG president Mike Gordon and has a strong relationship with principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner even if his departure for the Cubs in 2011 led to frosty relations on a temporary basis. Epstein is also a close friend and former mentor of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the person who first gave Breslow a front office job with the Cubs in Jan. 2019. Before officially having a role with FSG, Epstein was involved in Breslow’s hiring by the Red Sox last fall and served as an sounding board to two close friends in Breslow and Kennedy, albeit on an unofficial basis. That arrangement will continue with Epstein having an official role — and access to information he might not have had from the outside. During his time as GM, Epstein benefited from having an experienced former general manager, Bill Lajoie, as an advisor. He’ll serve a somewhat similar role for Breslow even if his responsibilities are more widespread.
Epstein’s prior successful working relationship with Henry and Werner will allow him to have the ear of both owners immediately in a way that other top baseball decision-makers, like Chaim Bloom and Breslow, may have found difficult in the early years of their tenure. There is a sense among those familiar with the dynamic that Epstein will be able to — based on his skilled ability to manage personalities and track record of success — push Henry out of his comfort zone on potential moves in a way that others have not been able to. One source cautioned that it’s likely too late for that to come into play this winter with most of the free agent market picked over, spring training about 10 days from starting and the Henry-run Red Sox staunchly committed to building from within while keeping payroll at a self-imposed limit.
The Red Sox, with Kennedy taking the lead, had pursued a reunion with Epstein in some capacity since late last summer. They were not alone in their efforts. Other teams have also pursued Epstein in the years since he departed the Cubs in Nov. 2020. As part of the move to FSG, Epstein ceased serving as a formal consultant to the commissioner’s office but will stay informally involved. The 50-year-old has long coveted the opportunity to own a team or potentially take on a major role in an expansion team down the road, so it’s logical he would want to gain knowledge of the inner workings of the highest level of organizations across multiple sports.
The move, which continues the team’s emphasis on bolstering the infrastructure of the organization this winter, gives Epstein a small ownership stake. Prior to Epstein’s return, the team placed a particular emphasis on improving pitching development with the hires of pitching coach Andrew Bailey, director of pitching Justin Willard and consultant Kyle Boddy.
