Epstein joins MLB as consultant for on-field matters originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
As he left the Cubs, former president of baseball operations Theo Epstein promised that he’d remain in baseball. With Thursday’s news, he kept his word.
Major League Baseball named Epstein a consultant regarding on-field matters. Epstein will help evaluate possible rule changes and advise commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB’s competition committee.
The new role aligns with some of the goals Epstein relayed in his farewell press conference two months ago. At the time, Epstein left his next step open-ended, but he did say he wanted to “help the game.”
“It is the greatest game in the world, but there are threats to it just because of the way the game is evolving,” Epstein said in November. “And I take some responsibility for that because the executives like me who have spent a lot of time using analytics and other measures to try to optimize individual and team performance have unwittingly had a negative impact on the aesthetic value of the game and the entertainment value of the game in some respects.
“I mean, clearly, the strikeout rate's a little bit out of control and we need to find a way to get more action in the game, get the ball in play more often, allow players to show their athleticism some more and give the fans more of what they want.”
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Epstein has spent 29 years working in baseball. Leading baseball operations for the Red Sox (2003-2011) and Cubs (2012-2020), Epstein has led his teams to a total of three World Series championships, including the Cubs’ curse-breaking victory in 2016.
“Theo is one of the most accomplished and thoughtful people in our sport,” Manfred said in a MLB release. “I am grateful that he has accepted our invitation to complement our ongoing efforts and provide his insights on making the best game in the world even better for the next generation of fans.”
