WHY THEO EPSTEIN SHOULD BE THE NEXT YANKEES GM

In Sunday Night Baseball's K-Rod broadcast, Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez interviewed MLB Consultant and former Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein in what was a very interesting conversation. As the interview progressed, I couldn't help but say to myself, 'it's like they are interviewing him for his next front office position.' And Epstein certainly did not disappoint. Which aided and abetted the headline of this piece, "Why Theo Epstein should be the next Yankee GM."

"Early in my career, I used to think of players as assets...I used to think of teams as portfolios. The truth...is that a player's character matters. The heartbeat matters. The player's impact on others matters. The tone he sets matters," said Epstein in a commencement speech at Yale University in 2017. These words could not be more true. Epstein complemented these words in Sunday's interview with KRod by sharing his thoughts on baseball analytics. 

Epstein stated and I am paraphrasing that analytics alone will not win ball games. Analytics coupled with innovation and diversity does and the teams that use that formula are winning. Teams like the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodger recognize this and have executed accordingly. The Yankees have handicapped themselves by relying on just numbers and statistics. And in doing so, have pushed themselves down a very deep rabbit hole.

"Even Theo Epstein said that it takes a full 3 years of making changes to the organization and the roster before you have a truly solid foundation on which to build.  With each year, you dig further and deeper down into every area of the franchise," reported Detroit Tigers' blogger Holly Horning. Are the Yankees getting ready to do that? They made some changes, releasing players like Harrison Bader and Josh Donaldson but unless they are going to commit to real change in leadership, nothing will change for the Yankees.

So why not spend the money and the time in recruiting Epstein. He is fairly local now, living in Connecticut and giving up his home in Chicago. And he did what he was asked to do, lead the most drastic rule changes that MLB has ever seen. Why not come and help the most storied team in all of baseball?

"ESPN's David Kaplan reported Tuesday that Epstein is "very happy in his current roles." Epstein serves as a consultant to MLB, having a hand in the league's rule changes i.e. pitch clock, bigger bases, etc. To him, stepping back into a front office could be considered a downgrade. Epstein could have his eyes set on bigger things, such as becoming the league's commissioner. However, Rob Manfred signed a new extension that keeps him in his role through 2029," reported NBC Sports. What if the bigger things were actually waiting for him in the Bronx?

Brian Cashman has overstayed his welcome. The Yankees need change. Epstein exudes change. Everything he touches, he makes a positive impact. Cubs, Red Sox, MLB, and now, the Yankees? Stranger things have happened and if the Yankees want to climb out of their rabbit hole, they need to do something drastic. Epstein could be just the remedy the Yankees need.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof