(670 The Score) The Cubs will go into the 2021 season without a new general manager.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will take his time to fill that role and won’t hire a new GM this offseason, he said Wednesday. Hoyer filled the GM position for the past nine seasons before being promoted following Theo Epstein’s resignation in late November.
"On the GM search, I have thought about this a lot,” Hoyer said. “We have been very busy. I have a great staff to work with, and they have been amazingly helpful. You saw some of those promotions over the last two weeks. Ultimately what I have decided to do is wait.”
The Cubs recently promoted Jeff Greenberg and Craig Breslow to assistant general manager positions. Hoyer signed a new five-year contract to be the president of baseball operations, and he wants to be sure to find the ideal right-hand man. He doesn’t believe he can do that remotely over Zoom calls, so he hopes to ramp up the process in the summer with the hope of being able to meet candidates in person then.
“I am going to wait until some point this summer,” Hoyer said. “I will wait until things open up enough that I can do the search the way I want to do it.”
Hoyer also confirmed the new GM will be an external hire.
“I am definitely going to hire somebody from the outside,” Hoyer said. “The more I thought about the role and the need to fill that position, I know I will never replicate the relationship I had with Theo. That was born of working with him since I was 28 years old. That trust can never be replicated in an interview process So I feel it's really important to spend time with the person we will hire. We would need multiple meals together and have families on both sides get together. You are entering this type of relationship which is unique.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.