Theo Epstein

BOSTON — Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is likely to join the Chicago Cubs within the next 48 hours, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.
The Cubs fired general manager Jim Hendry on Aug. 19 and finished 71-91. They have been pursuing Epstein, who just finished his ninth season with Boston. The Red Sox missed the playoffs following a record collapse, going 7-20 in September and finishing at 90-72.
Epstein would be going to a Cubs franchise that hasn't won the World Series since 1908. Boston hadn't won a championship since 1918 until doing it in 2004, Epstein's second year as general manager. The Red Sox also won it all in 2007.
The Boston Herald first reported that Epstein "is on the cusp" of leaving the Red Sox for a position with the Cubs and that an announcement was expected within 24 to 48 hours.
Earlier, the Cubs declined to comment on the Herald report.
The 37-year-old Epstein has one year left on his contract with the Red Sox. There was no word on whether they were asking for compensation from the Cubs.
His expected departure would be the latest in the wake of Boston's disastrous finish. On Sept. 30, two days after the Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the regular season, Terry Francona's eight-year stint as manager ended.
The Red Sox had two years of options on Francona, but he said during a meeting the morning of Sept. 30 with Epstein and team owners John Henry and Tom Werner that he thought the club needed "a new voice" after problems arose in the clubhouse.

Tim Wakefield

 Tim Wakefield earned his 200th win on his eighth try, Dustin Pedroia hit two homers in Boston's highest-scoring game of the season and the Red Sox ended a five-game losing streak with an 18-6 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

The Red Sox needed the victory badly after their AL wild-card lead over Tampa Bay had dropped from nine games to three over the previous nine days. And the 45-year-old knuckleballer was eager to end the long wait – 0-3 in seven outings since his last win July 24 – to become the 108th pitcher with 200 wins.

Wakefield (7-6) went six innings and overcame a shaky outing to retire his final six batters. He left with a 6-5 lead after allowing six hits and two walks. He struck out two.

The crowd at Fenway Park clapped and chanted "Wakefield! Wakefield!" as Junichi Tazawa pitched the ninth for Boston, which moved four games in front of the Rays. Tampa Bay lost 4-2 at Baltimore.

The Red Sox added to their cushion with four runs in the sixth on a double by Carl Crawford, an RBI single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a single by Jacoby Ellsbury and a three-run homer by Pedroia, his 20th of the year.

Pedroia, who tied his career high with five RBIs, also was on the tail end of consecutive homers with Ellsbury in the fourth.