Former Cubs president Theo Epstein doesn't plan to run a baseball organization in 2021, but that doesn't appear to be stopping at least one team from pursuing him.
WSCR's Bruce Levine reported Tuesday the Phillies plan to "aggressively" pursue Epstein to run their baseball operations department.
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NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury adds the Phillies will call Epstein to gauge his interest, but "there's not a high degree of optimism that he will change his stated position."
Philadelphia general manager Matt Klentak stepped down last month and will be reassigned to a different position in the organization. The Phillies plan to begin interviewing candidates to run their front office next week, according to The Athletic's Jayson Stark.
Epstein's resumé includes three championships (2004 and '07 with Boston, 2016 with Cubs), so the Phillies' reported interest isn't shocking. However, he made it clear in a letter announcing his departure to coworkers that he will not assume a top front office position in 2021.
He echoed those comments during a press conference Tuesday.
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"My phone will probably be ringing, and I always answer and look forward to hearing what people have to say, since I’m open-minded about my future," Epstein said. "But those are my plans. I don’t expect to jump right back in with and other team now."