Theo Epstein stepping down as Cubs president proves Andrew Friedman is king

Andrew Friedman’s reign as Dodgers president is still the best in MLB … now it just can’t be disputed.

On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs announced that president of baseball operations Theo Epstein would be stepping down from his post and general manager Jed Hoyer would take over to fulfill the long-term vision of the franchise. It’s truly an end of an era for the Cubs, who could lose most or all of their franchise cornerstones this offseason or after 2021.

Epstein took over the Cubs back in 2011 after leaving the Boston Red Sox, where he won two World Series (2004. 2007). After Chicago captured the 2016 World Series, Epstein officially broke two of the longest championship droughts in sports history with his work overseeing management and personnel.

However, Andrew Friedman, a fellow high-profile executive, was flying under the radar, likely because he was employed by the Tampa Bay Rays. That changed in 2014 when the Los Angeles Dodgers lured him to the National League to take over as team president. From that point on, there was some sort of a front office rivalry between the two MLB powerhouses in LA and Chicago.

Now with Epstein out, Friedman stands alone atop Major League Baseball as the unquestioned top executive based on his body of work and success.

Friedman’s job with the Rays spoke for itself. He led a team with a non-existent budget to the World Series and kept them extremely competitive until his departure. Then, he was given money to implement his philosophy with the Dodgers, and the results were the birth of a behemoth.

Here are some his best signings, trades and draft picks (forgive us if we missed a couple):

• 2020: traded for Mookie Betts, David Price and Brusdar Graterol
• 2019: signed Blake Treinen
• 2018: acquired current top prospect Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs (who was sent to Boston in Betts’ deal) for Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer; acquired Manny Machado in trade with Orioles and helped LA reach WS
• 2017: acquired Yu Darvish in trade with Rangers and helped LA reach WS; signed Max Muncy
• 2016: drafted Gavin Lux, Will Smith and Dustin May
• 2015: drafted Walker Buehler

Before his arrival in LA, the Dodgers had made the playoffs just five times in the previous 10 seasons, were wildly inconsistent, and failed to make it to the World Series, falling short in the NLCS three times.

In comparison, Friedman just completed his sixth season with the Dodgers, and here are the results:

• 2015: NL West Champs, NLDS loss to Mets
• 2016: NL West Champs, NLCS loss to Cubs
• 2017: NL West Champs, World Series loss to Astros (HOU cheated)
• 2018: NL West Champs, World Series loss to Red Sox (BOS likely cheated)
• 2019: NL West Champs, NLDS loss to eventual WS champion Nationals
• 2020: NL West Champs, World Series champs (def. Rays)

So it’s no wonder why Friedman won MLB’s Executive of the Year in 2020.

Epstein’s run was similar, but the Cubs were much more inconsistent and undoubtedly disappointed the fanbase with two Wild Card losses in the last three years as well as no postseason appearance in 2019.

We’re not taking anything away from Epstein. He’s one of the all-time front office greats in how own right. But with his resignation comes the realization that there’s indeed a clear-cut undisputed top executive in the game. His name is Andrew Friedman and his run with the Dodgers is far from over.

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