The Cubs have signed new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to a five-year contract that runs through the 2025 season, per a team announcement. Hoyer, the team’s longtime general manager, was promoted to his new post last week when Theo Epstein stepped away from the role.
A new contract for Hoyer doesn’t register as much of a surprise. While he was only promoted to this new post last week, he was entering the final season of a five-year contract as the team’s general manager. There’d be little sense in promoting Hoyer to the top of the baseball operations food chain but leaving him on a one-year deal and having him enter the 2021 season under lame-duck status.
Promoting Hoyer, as owner Tom Ricketts put it last week, offered the organization a “combination of continuity and a fresh perspective that will serve us well as we look forward to another period of sustained success.” That comment certainly indicated that the club planned for Hoyer to be at the helm for the long term, and today’s contract extension solidifies the matter.
“Jed was a key baseball operations leader as we built a team that made the playoffs five of the last six years and won the World Series,” Ricketts said Monday in a new statement announcing the extension. “My family and I believe he is going to be an incredible baseball operations president, and Cubs fans have one of the best in the business leading the team to continue our commitment to sustained success.”
Notably, this won’t be Hoyer’s first time heading up a baseball operations department. He served as the Padres’ general manager from 2009-11 before being hired by Epstein, his former colleague with the Red Sox, to hold that same post within the Cubs organization. Epstein, Hoyer and current Cubs senior vice president of player personnel Jason McLeod all came up through the ranks together in Boston and have all played integral roles in the Cubs’ rise to a perennial playoff contender in recent years.
Seems a little premature IMO
How so? Im not sure if this is sarcastic. He has been with the Cubs for 8 years. I think everyone kind of assumed he would get an extension.
Not Premature at all, his contract is up after the 2021 season too, so if you are committed to him long term then you need to extend him long term.
“IMO” isn’t a word. Type it out, it isn’t that hard.
So, someone named “Bleach Injector” is complaining about a commonly accepted shorthand on a comment thread of a non-professional website about a sport… You can honestly taste the irony.
Not at all. Hoyer was the obvious choice. It’s like if Antonetti left the Indians for some reason, I’m sure Chernoff would be promoted. Also, Forst with the A’s if Beane assumes part ownership of the Sox.
So now, the next thing to look for, is who is named GM?
Dogbone, I’m not asking this as a negative, but does it matter? The President of Baseball Operations (PoBO) is 95% title inflation. It’s what the GM used to be. The GM in an org with a PoBO is basically an assistant. It’s not the equivalent of a GM in an org without a PoBO. Hoyer is running the show for the next five years.
I’ve always wondered what the actual job entails as a GM that reports to a POBO. How much negotiating with other teams and agents are they actually responsible for. I’d imagine it varies from team to team. For example, as a Braves fan I know that John Coppolella actually negotiated the majority of trades during the Braves rebuild even before claiming the GM title even though John Hart was the PoBO.
You don’t know that.
Dude listen as much as we all read on this website and subsequent baseball news articles, I’m sure you’re in the very small majority who disagrees here. Don’t be a naggy troll thanks.
And a lazy one at that. I posted a comment response and he made the same identical comment. Seriously do your own research and have something to offer.
I hope the new GM Is someone with a feel for team chemistry as well as statistics. Chemistry matters and the loss of both Dexter Fowler and Nicholas Castellanos had an impact on what was happening before their departure. Either way it will be interesting.
If he still has one year left on his contract, wouldn’t this be a four-year extension?
Yeah important question here. Get your best men on this, Steve.
I know everyone is on their edges of their seats but it’s quite possible they had voided the final year and signed a new contract.
I’ve sent emails and made calls. Can’t seem to find the answer anywhere. It’s so upsetting that we don’t have the full details.
Have you tried Theo Epstein? He may have some time now to investigate.
Is it? Upsetting?
Its a new contract, and runs through the 2025 season, so his contract may start now but it runs for the 2021, 22, 23, 24, & 25 seasons.
So much shuffling of the deck chairs but no one willing to move one of the big trade chips that they have to move.
only 11/23/2020, they have no choice to make pieces this offseason.
All good things to those who wait.
…but gets what’s left over from those who hustle.
What 108 more years?
By tomorrow White Sox fans will be calling him “Dumpster Divin’ Jed”
Dumpster “Div’in” for closers every year when you’re supposed to be a “contender” earns you a certain reputation, and rightly so. It’s just like the Angels dumpster diving for starting pitchers every year.
What closer was a dumpster dive? Chitown’s idiotic catchphrases are the source of the “reputation”.
It starts today. I would like to formally announce the Cubs new president, Scrap Heap Hoyer!!!
What about bargain basement Hahn or clearance rack Rick?
Seriously, guys. As a White Sox fan I felt Theo did a great job in his short time as a GM. I mean the man has three championships with two teams. I have no reason to believe that Hoyer will do a bad job having worked along side Theo for all these years. All teams have made good signings and trades as well as bad ones but you can’t fault a GM when ownership cries poor. As for the comment about not trading the bigger chips, the off season basically just got going. No need to try to hurry and force a trade.
Thanks for being fair, Iron. If the last four years for the Cubs were graded a C+, that would be reasonable considering the expectations. And they still won their division a couple times and lost another in game 163.
Wheather the nicname fits will be determined quickly. Sabremetrics had way too much sway under Epstein and when certain people left the team the Cubs went down hill. Bryant MUST go but as some people have been pushing for, for years, Schwarbers name always comes up next and to some he is a fan favorite. Their sports network us very high priced and with the NFL and NBA trying so hard to chase away fans, we hope the Cubs still want us to watch enough this isn’t another misguided give away.
I doubt he lasts all five seasons.
Theo didn’’t last his ten, Tim. You might be on to something.
I bet you this man is a real bore at the dinner table
Good time for them to sell high on Darvish in terms of cutting payroll and getting a legit starter prospect they lack in-house for their revamp.
Depends on what they’re doing this offseason. If they’re moving Bryant, Baez & Schwarber then yeah. But if only one goes then maybe they can try to contend and if so, no way they move Yu.
Perhaps I give them more credit in thinking they are not going to ride out several expiring contracts like that + roll with 2 good starters to try for a wildcard run. Twins GM big fan of Yu and upstart Toronto a couple good fits if they see someone appealing from either of its farm systems.
I doubt anyone major will go besides Bryant.
I would give away Bryant for a bag of used balls but Baez, Schwarber and Darvish? thats not a rebuild thats a total start over.
3/61MM to Yu. Would rather add Heyward then get a prospect back…
Agreed. Dump them both ASAP. Trade the rest for prospects.
Five years—just long enough for a complete rebuild. They have no minor league system, and no financial commitment to signing top free agents from the Ricketts family. Might as well BLOW.IT.UP.
Good for Jed, I’m excited for this next phase with the fa/trade market the way it is and people dumping payroll if you are willing to spend just a little bit you can retool your roster. All this rebuild blow it up talk it’s just not going to happen like that. Division is weak, sure we may move on from Bryant and schwarber but we can replace those guys and still improve. Shoot id love to get Brantley and just someone like Jonathan schoop. There wld not be much if any of a drop off.
Brantly and Schoop? lol lol lol lol lol.
Smart move. Jed Hoyer will do great.
Wherever Epstein lands, Hoyer will follow. I give him 2 or 3 years with the Cubs, max.
That said, I’d love to see the Padres hire Epstein, leaving Preller as GM.
Epstein is not going anywhere and be told who his GM is. He will choose. Why in the world would he keep Preller?
If Preller is so good why hire anyone over him?
I don’t recall seeing any comments from the owners, Ricketts, saying a fond farewell to Epstein. I saw Epstein giving a nice farewell and Hoyer moving up. Why no thank you from Ricketts? This has been the most successful period ever for the Cubs and they have a passable ballpark for the first time in forever. Ricketts should be thanking his lucky stars that Epstein was available and willing to take on this endeavor. He is HOF material already as a GM/Pres. Ricketts needs to stop pleading pour and make sure the team doesn’t slide back into below mediocrity.
Ricketts had plenty of nice words for Epstein when it was announced he was leaving.
Another bad signing by my favorite team