The Cubs announced Wednesday that senior vice president of amateur scouting and player development Jason McLeod will change role, transitioning to senior vice president of player personnel.
“Jason has made immense contributions to the organization in his eight years supervising Amateur Scouting and Player Development,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said in the press release announcing McLeod’s new position. “He helped build and grow two departments that were crucial in the Cubs’ rebuild, championship and run of sustained success. As his career has evolved, Jason is prepared for new challenges at the Major League level, where his strengths in evaluation, development and culture-building will be quite impactful.”
McLeod, like Epstein and Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer, has roots in the Red Sox organization and has long been seen as a potential future GM himself. He served as Hoyer’s assistant general manager with the Padres in 2010-11 before that duo joined Epstein atop the Cubs’ baseball operations hierarchy. He’s been a fixture in the Cubs’ front office since that time but has been considered for in GM searches around the league, interviewing with both the Twins and the Giants in each club’s most recent front office restructurings.
While McLeod’s focus has been more on the amateur and development side of things with the Cubs, he’ll now take on a greater role in the day-to-day operation of the Major League club and its roster construction, per today’s release.
Lock him into a new job before the Red Sox try and steal him away
“Lock him into a new job before the Red Sox try and steal him away”
Why would you worry about another team stealing him. Please, take him. He sucked as the head of the scouting department. The Cubs minor league system is a mess and at the bottom in all of baseball. That’s why they removed him from that role and gave him some insignificant role. They kept him around because he’s Theo’s friend.
I don’t want to sound like the voice of reason here, but he was at the top of the Giants and Mets interview lists for their GM positions last off season.
Yeah, and last off season Dave Dombrowski was considered a solid GM.
“Theo’s friend”? So dumb.
Oh dude you’re just making yourself sound like an idiot… stop talking please
Yes, facts are real annoying to Cubs fans! High Five!
He did help build the best minor league system in all of baseball before Theo traded everyone away. Look at all the players that were drafted under him. Eloy Jimenez, Gleyber Torres, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Javier Baez, Nico Horener, Adbert Alzolay.
Dylan Cease and Jorge Soler says hi.
Baez was drafted by Hendry, Bryant was not some 13th round pick, Schwarber same, Torres & Jimenez were pure international signings.
Stop acting like Theo & crew discovered a whole roster of HOF talent.
Real foundation of Cubs recent success were trades for Arrieta & Hendricks combined with Lester FA signing being a homerun, when most big dollar 30 something pitchers are a waste.
Fact is Theo & Co. have failed at drafting at backend of draft, utterly failed at drafting & developing pitching. Thus the farm system that they did build and develop was spent like a drunken sailor on 48 hr shore leave.
A lot of facts here…
I would also add the Rizzo deal into the Arrieta/Hendricks grouping though.
Name another Cubs executive group that’s delivered 4 straight 90+ win seasons 4 straight trips to the playoffs and a World Championship in the past 100 years
Fernando Tatis Jr says hello
Sounds like a classy move to reward him with more experience to perhaps have a resume for a future GM position.
“Sustained success” hahahahahahahaha
i think you get called that when you go to the postseason 5 straight years and the NLCS twice.
More like “one hit wonder”. LMAO That so called “dynasty” netted that team ONE NL pennant. 1 pennant.
If you want to call that fiasco a post season appearance last year. One and done at their own park.
Where were the Cards? And the year before that? And the year before that?
Dont argue with Themed. You end up with him on the not so regular size bus.
Don’t bother ‘themed’ or the white sox ankle biters with the facts. You might interrupt their hate.
Let’s check out just this century and see which teams has won more World Series and Division titles and playoff appearances. I’ll be waiting for an answer.
Yankees
Still using that same ol’ chestnut to justify your homer ‘theme’? Lame.
So, the What Sux have sustained what levels of success? Oh, that’s right – most empty seats & ballparks 10 years in a row. Congrats to the front office!!
The Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics would like to have a word with you regarding record number of empty seats over the past decade!
They guy didn’t do crap. The farm system is terrible he is Theo’s guy or he would be unemployed
Maybe at the end of your rainbow, you’ll find a pot of grammar.
Love this guy’s picture.
I doubt this has much to do with the Red Sox situation. Nobody’s going to pass up the opportunity to sit in the big chair in Boston in order to play second fiddle to Theo; we all know how much Epstein likes to see himself on TV. As (I think) John McLaren once said, when he was a limited partner in the Steinbrenner Yankee days, “There’s nothing more limited than being a limited partner to George Steinbrenner”.
A team with the revenues like the Cubs have 3 choices with what to do with that “gush”; pay it to Uncle Sam, put it into the Revenue Sharing pot, or take care of your employees. It’s why front offices are 4 times as large as they used to be.
Ah look another cubs article filled with moronic comments from two legendary championship fan bases….. oh wait 2 championships in 110 years nevermind.
Yea, it’s a cesspool. Really makes these sections unejoyable.
not as bad as the Brewer fans and their zero championships
At least it’s one team, I was unfortunately brought up in a split household of Sox and Cub fans. This stupid bickering is old and childish. Neither team has any bragging rights.
Epstein pretty much pissed away the cubs’ future for a couple closers who player for other teams now, and an average starting pitcher. Maddon will take the fall for maximizing the potential the players he was given, while minimizing the effects of a decimated farm system and a front office with an obsession for over paying broken and overvalued free agents. He must assume a majority of the blame for the cubs’ failure. Then he must act. Trade Bryant, Schwarber, Almora and Heyward. Lock up Baez and Contreras. Reload with free agents. Only then can Epstein repair his image, and find redemption.
Theo leaves and goes back to Boston. Hoyer named Prez. McLeod GM. First thing he does is trade No Field, .230 average, swing for the fence every AB Schwarber back to Theo in Boston. They get married and have 2 1/2 kids and live happily ever after. The End.
LMAO……If you were around Boston during Theo’s days, you’d remember all the rumors….
I don’t think he ever returns. Henry/Warner felt humiliated by “l’affair Theo” and he’s probably persona non grata. And really, his biggest contribution was more in bringing their FO into the 21st century, rather than any personnel decisions he made (most of which were made possible by Henry’s willingness to spend more than anything else). But Theo IS a fanatically good organizer, and truly understands the value of the sizzle along with the steak.
They originally hired Theo for extremely cheap. And they’ve just gone through paying DD a LOT of money. I think they go a cheaper way this time.