There are a bunch of reasons Theo Epstein wouldn’t work for the Cubs, but let’s not let that stop our speculation

I want the Cubs to hire their new GM quickly. Why? To spare us from speculation pieces with passages like this one from Olney’s column this morning:

And here’s another big name to keep in mind: Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox ... Keep in mind that Epstein has carved out a strong position under Red Sox owners Henry and Tom Werner, and friends say he has a deep loyalty to the Boston organization -- and keep in mind that Boston is his hometown, and that Epstein is in the middle of his current contract ... There’s no telling how Henry would react, or how Ricketts would handle that situation, or what Epstein would want, until those conversations take place.

So there’s no suggestion that the Cubs are interested in Epstein, no suggestion that Epstein wants to go anywhere and he’s locked up for several more years? Well hell, you may as well start clearing out a new office for him already.

Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman are great GMs who make a load of money, have near-infinite resources at their disposal and, time after time, say they’re not interested in going anyplace else. In light of that, it seems like we should demand more than "[Epstein or Cashman] would be a good fit” stories. Of course they’d be good fits. They’d be good fits anyplace. But it strikes me that there’s gotta be some there there before we go there, ya know?