Cubs manager search: Epstein never contacted Red Sox about Torey Lovullo
All that stuff about a rift between the front offices of the Cubs and the Red Sox? Yeah, didn’t happen.
Not only have the Cubs not been denied permission to speak to Lovullo, they haven't even called about him, according to Peter Gammons.
The narrative that the Sox were holding up the Cubs' manager hunt started over the weekend when FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that Chicago was slated to interview Lovullo "early this week." The next day, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman wrote that the Red Sox had denied the Cubs permission to speak with Lovullo.
The sticking point between the two clubs was allegedly the agreement Theo Epstein made when he moved to the North Side that he would not “poached” any of his former staff for three years without Boston’s approval. Seeing as Lovullo wasn’t a member of the Red Sox staff at the time Epstein left, it’s hard to see how that pact would have applied had a call happened.
As it stands, Epstein never contacted his former club and Lovullo actually received a new three-year contract (with a nice raise) to remain the Red Sox bench coach through the 2016 season, per Gammons. As for the Cubs, they are expected to name their new manager on Thursday, and it most definitely will not be Lovullo.
