It's been three months, but everyone's still waiting.
What will the Red Sox receive as compensation for allowing former general manager Theo Epstein take the job as Cubs president?
Epstein checked in with WEEI Thursday morning to discuss several subject matters, including compensation -- a interesting topic in that Epstein himself is now helping to decide how much he's worth.
Epstein joined the Cubs in October, but an agreement between the Sox and Cubs has still not been reached. Commissioner Bud Selig interjected at one point to help finalize the deal, but he has presumably stepped back and the wait has continued.
"I think you have to put it in context," Epstein said. "In the history of baseball with all the executives that have changed teams, many of which were on lateral moves, let alone those who left for promotions like I did, throughout the history of baseball there's really only been a handful of instances where there's been any compensation whatsoever for executives.
"If you wanted to look at precedent, you'd say, 'Well, whether I'm worth nothing, or something,' -- you would probably get some opinions on that if you ask your callers -- the bottom line is when executives change teams there is no compensation. There have been a handful of instances where there is compensation, and that compensation has been pretty reasonable. If you look when Andy MacPhail, who had won two World Series, left on a lateral move from Minnesota to Chicago back in '94, his compensation was like the 30th ranked prospect in the Cubs system and a little bit of cash."
Epstein didn't say if the Red Sox deserved a similar level of compensation. He did agree, however, that they deserved something since those were the terms of the deal to let him walk with one year left on his contract with the Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox
"So I think when you say there should be compensation here, there should be because we agreed there should be compensation, so that's part of the gig. But I think you have to look at history and you have to look at the precedent involved and realize there is not precedent for major, major compensation here. But the bottom line is we need to figure this out, and we will. Both sides are still working on it because it was agreed to and you have to live up to your word. If you agree that there is compensation there has to be compensation, and there should be. You look at precedent as a guide and try to do something that's appropriate given the more than century-old history of baseball.
"Ben and I have been trying to work it out. I think normally Ben and I could work it out, but there's just a little bit of a different perspective. The expectations were different at the time. We're trying to figure something out that makes the Red Sox happy, but also fits with a century of baseball precedent. I can honestly say this one has been turned over and discussed in the media a lot more than it has between the clubs. Ben and I have had five conversations on in the last few months. We've gotten close but we haven't gotten it done. Maybe we'll need some help to get it done. I want both sides to be happy if possible."