So much for Theo Epstein taking some time away from baseball.
Major League Baseball hired the former Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs executive Thursday as a consultant regarding on-field matters. Epstein also will serve on MLB's Competition Committee and "work with baseball analytics experts" to "determine the likely effects of various rule changes."
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Epstein, who won two World Series titles with Boston over nearly a decade as general manager and brought a championship to Chicago in 2016, stepped down from his role as Cubs president of baseball operations last November. At the time, Epstein expressed interest in owning an MLB team one day.
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That still could be a possibility for the 47-year-old Brookline, Mass., native. But for now, it appears Epstein will have a direct line to commissioner Rob Manfred and have a significant voice in potential rule changes. If he has designs on eventually becoming MLB commissioner, this seems like a great role to take.
In any event, it doesn't sound like Epstein is coming back to the Red Sox, who hired fellow Yale graduate Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer in 2019.
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But after Epstein helped end 86-year and 106-year title droughts in Boston and Chicago, respectively, fans from both cities will keep a close eye on his rise through baseball's ranks.