Executive Shake Ups in the AL East

There are a lot of movers and shakers in the AL East right now, but none of them are players:

It looks like Theo Epstein is officially set to follow Terry Francona out of Boston, with reports saying a deal with the Cubs is all but completed and will be announced in the next 24-48 hours. As for the managerial spot left open by Francona, it won’t be filled by Joe Torre. Torre said today that he does not “anticipate managing anymore” and that he is not interested in the Red Sox position. Certainly some significant moves taking place in Boston, but it is questionable whether they will actually solve any problems. Especially where Epstein is concerned – he put together a powerhouse team this season and absolutely no one could have predicted the collapse that took place down the stretch.

The Orioles are conducting their own GM search to replace Andy MacPhail. Their list of 6 candidates includes Padres VP of Baseball Ops Josh Byrnes, Rays Sr. VP of Baseball Ops Gerry Hunsicker, former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, Rangers Asst. GM Thad Levine, Jays Asst. GM Tony LaCava, and Marlins Asst. GM Dan Jennings.

As for Brian Cashman’s new contract, Mark Feinsand reports that no discussions have taken place yet. But no worries – Cashman isn’t going anywhere. The Yankees want him to stay in NY, Cashman wants to stay in NY, and based on Cashman’s recent comments, it appears that he has already started thinking about the moves that will need to be made this offseason.