Cubs chairman: Epstein has OK to go after Pujols, Fielder
PUBLISHED 6 hours and 26 minutes ago
LAST UPDATED 16 minutes and 32 seconds ago
Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts on Tuesday gave new team president Theo Epstein his backing if Epstein pursues Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder.
Ricketts told reporters that it was Epstein’s call whether to pursue the free-agent sluggers.
“Like I’ve always said, there’s one person (Epstein) responsible for making those decisions and one person accountable for those results,” Ricketts said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “So if he believes strongly that’s what’s in the best interest for the team, then he’s got my support.”
https:///aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-11-30/cubs-chairman-epstein-has-ok-to-go-after-pujols-fielder
ESPN
Ricketts talks free agency, Theo and more
November, 29, 2011
By Bruce Levine
Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts met with reporters on Tuesday and touched on a variety of subjects.
On going after a big-ticket free agents: ”Like I’ve always said, there is one person making decisions and one person accountable for those results
On the new collective bargaining agreement and cap on draft spending: ”People knew this was an issue that would be discussed in the new CBA. I was personally surprised how far it went. I thought there would be some changes [to the draft] but it’s a big shift, a bigger shift than expected. So we knew it was a possibility this would come in but it’s Theo and [general manager] Jed’s [Hoyer] decision how to allocate the money. But it will have an effect because they will only have a certain amount of dollars to allocate for the draft.”
https:///espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/7315/ricketts-talks-free-agency-theo-and-more
MLB Cubs
Cubs confident Epstein era will bring success
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com |
CHICAGO — When Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts began the process of replacing general manager Jim Hendry, he started with a detailed analysis of all teams in terms of their records, how they spent their money, and how they developed players. He called at least 20 people he could trust — owners, GMs, former GMs, agents — and asked, in a perfect world, who would they pick to run the Cubs.
“At the end of that process, Theo’s name was the one name that kept coming up, and it was just the obvious choice for us,” Ricketts said.
But Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein faces a tougher task in Chicago than he did in Boston.
https:///chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111129&content_id=26058614&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc
Chicago Tribune
Cubs’ chairman likes new direction
Ricketts believes club moving forward on number of fronts
November 29, 2011|By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune reporter
After reports spread Tuesday the Cubs were interested in both Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, Tom Ricketts was asked if he was willing to offer a mega-deal to any free agent this offseason.
The Cubs chairman skirted the subject, deferring to president Theo Epstein.
But Ricketts addressed several topics during an interview with beat writers.
https:///articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-29/sports/ct-spt-1130-tom-ricketts-cubs-chicago—20111130_1_tom-ricketts-wrigley-renovations-cubs