The announcement — that reliever Chris Carpenter was heading to Boston — came on the four-month anniversary of Epstein's departure from Boston for the North Side of Chicago. Now, both sides are able to get along with their baseball lives, as they both approach new eras for their respective franchises.
"I think it took this long because it was a unique circumstance," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington explained to reporters on Tuesday in Fort Myers. "We talk to teams all the time about trades and it's player for player and it's easy to, easier to, assign value and figure out what's fair, what's not fair. In this case it was just tougher because it involved not just an executive but a friend."
Cherington, who worked as an assistant general manager under Epstein in Boston, stressed that the fact that he was working with a friend toward this resolution may have actually complicated the matter some.
"It was just difficult because these things don't normally happen," Cherington said of the unusual circumstances. "It's hard to figure out what was appropriate. In the end both teams compromised and we feel really good about the guy we're getting and we're happy it was resolved and we were able to resolve it between the teams without the commissioner getting involved."
The formal announcement that Epstein would leave Boston to become the Cubs' new president of baseball didn't come until Oct. 21 after being one of the worst-kept secrets in quite some time. From there, the Red Sox and Cubs worked together to find some middle ground in a process that Major League Baseball threatened to intervene in.
"I am relieved that this process is over and particulalry pleased that the teams were able to reach an agreement on their own without intervention from MLB," Epstein said in a statement Tuesday. "I truly hope and believe that this resolution will benefit both clubs, as well as Chris, who is an extremely talented reliever joining a great organization at a time when there's some opportunity in the major league bullpen."
Count commissioner Bud Selig among those who are happy that a resolution was reached.
"I am pleased that the Cubs and the Red Sox have resolved this matter," he said in a statement. "It has always been my preference that clubs resolve matters like this amongst themselves, as they understand their unique circumstances better than anyone else could. Though the matter required time, both clubs demonstrated professionalism throughout their discussions, and I appreciate their persistence in finding common ground."
