Say it Ain't So The-o!

As of this morning, the Boston Red Sox and their prodigy General Manager Theo Epstein still had not yet agreed on a contract extension for the 31-year old baseball prodigy.

Epstein, a homegrown Brookline boy and local celebrity after bringing the Red Sox a World Series title in 2004, has a contract that ends Halloween at midnight, yeah, like in six days from now. Supposedly, over these past few weeks, it has been business as usual on Yawkey Way as the Sox try to put together the 2006 version of the Olde Towne Team. But the Red Sox Nation, Bostonist is sure, would rather not have a lame duck GM putting together the squad for the upcoming campaign.

Both money and length of contract seem to be an issue for the two sides, with Theo wanting a deal more in the ballpark of what the Red Sox offered current Oakland A's GM Billy Beane to join the Red Sox in 2003 (5 years averaging 2.5 million per). The Red Sox first couple of offers (and hopefully not last) have not even been in the same galaxy as Beane’s contract.

The Red Sox initial offer to Epstein was a three-year contract that averaged $850K, which is quite a bump from Epstein's 2005 salary which is believed to be in the ballpark of $350K. As of Wednesday morning, the Boston Globe is reporting that Epstein rejected an offer of $1.2 million and a 3 year deal that would put the Sox GM into the upper echelon for pay of GMs in Major League Baseball.

There are rumblings that Epstein might be in connivance together, suggesting that current New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman (who is also negotiating a contract extension) is assisting Epstein in his contractual fight. The word on the streets is that Epstein and Cashman are close colleagues and even friends, and that Cashman might be holding out on his contract with the Yankees to provide a bit of extra leverage for Epstein in his dealings with the Red Sox.

Perish the thought! Theo Epstein, the man who brought the Red Sox their first World Series title in 86 years (gulp) could potentially not be the Sox GM going forward? Even worse, with the opening still available in New York, could Theo do the unthinkable? Could he become the youngest General Manager ever for the hated New York Yankees? Bostonist hopes not, and will be watching, CLOSELY.