Prince Theo 'surprisingly' resigns as Chicago Cubs team president. Would not say surprising because Epstein recently talked of stepping down and approaching the end of his 'Bill Walsh' 10-year burnout cycle. Here is the entire resignation statement. Epstein does not intend in joining the New York Mets front office, or to seek any other position at this time. He plans to take 2021 season off as the Covid-era landscape plays out.
The narrative hails Epstein as an architect who built the Cubs to their overdue 2016 World Series win, along with Boston Red Sox 2004 and 2007 titles. The 2016 championship was thought to mark the start of a dynasty - instead it became a fart in the wind as the Cubs have seen diminishing returns since.
2017 - Loss to Dodgers in the NLCS, ever since the road to National League supremacy has run through Los Angeles.
2018 - Lost one-game playoff for division title to Milwaukee. Lost Wild Card game to Colorado the following night. Dominant franchises do not lose winner-take-all games at home to the Brewers or Rockies.
2019 - Missed playoffs entirely with 84-78 record, ending Joe Maddon's managerial tenure.
2020 - Won NL Central but fell meekly to seventh-seeded Miami Marlins in first round of playoffs. Epstein's departure comes as Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber approach free agent status after the 2021 season. The Cubs appear headed for a long stretch of losing baseball. At least Bill Walsh finished on top.