Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein reportedly agree on terms

Boston Red Sox executive Theo Epstein agreed to a five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to multiple media reports.

Epstein, 37, would leave the Red Sox with a year remaining on his contract as general manager and take over what is expected to be an expanded role with the Cubs, who have gone 103 years without winning a World Series championship.

Radio station WEEI in Boston, ESPN the Magazine and SI.com all cited unidentified sources in reporting that Epstein has agreed to a deal. Details, which could include compensation to the Red Sox, were still being worked out.

The Cubs declined to comment Wednesday and Red Sox officials could not be reached by the Associated Press.

Red Sox collapse at issue

As the Red Sox disintegrated in what would become the worst September collapse in baseball history, some at Fenway Park grew concerned that the pain medication Terry Francona was taking after a half-dozen procedures on his knee might have been affecting his ability to manage, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

In a 2,500-word, front-page article headlined “Inside the Collapse,” the newspaper spread the blame on all sides: apathetic players eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games; a general manager who squandered a $161-million budget on underperformers; ownership that thought players could be bought off with $300 headphones and a party on owner John Henry’s 164-foot yacht.

The most salacious revelations involved Francona, who left the team after the season when his contract options were not picked up. Since then, reports have surfaced about dysfunction in a Red Sox clubhouse that produced a 7-20 record in September and turned a comfortable lead in the playoff race into an early off-season.

According to the Globe, team sources “expressed concern that Francona’s performance may have been affected by the use of pain medication.” The sources were not identified, the article said, saying those interviewed feared for their jobs or their relationships inside the organization.

The article also said Francona was worried about his son and son-in-law, Marine officers serving in Iraq. At the same time, Francona was living in a hotel, separated from his wife of more than 30 years.

Responding to the allegations that he was “distracted,” Francona noted that he was dealing with the same problems during the four-month period when the team was going 80-41. Francona’s ill health was no secret — he was taken to the hospital with chest pains from Yankee Stadium in 2005 — and he said he was taking the medication after multiple knee operations and at least five procedures to drain blood from his knee.

Angels’ search may lead to N.Y.

The Angels were granted permission by the New York Yankees to interview front-office executives Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler for their vacant general manager position, the New York Daily News reported.

An Angels spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the report, saying only that the team “has indeed initiated our search process for a new general manager, which includes reaching out to some organizations.”

Oppenheimer, the 48-year-old vice president of amateur scouting, has been credited with turning around the Yankees’ minor league system, considered among the worst in baseball less than a decade ago.

Eppler, 36, is the Yankees’ senior director of pro personnel and has been GM Brian Cashman’s right-hand man since the end of the 2009 season.

— Mike DiGiovanna

Etc.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard could sit out the start of next season after he had surgery on his torn Achilles’ tendon. Howard was injured while making the final out in Philadelphia’s 1-0 loss to St. Louis in the deciding game of a National League division series Friday. “It’s going to be five to six months from the surgery until he can play at his accustomed level,” General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. … Cleveland Indians starter Justin Masterson underwent surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder and is expected to be ready for training camp in February.