Groz: Mariners’ next move should be getting Theo Epstein as team president

I have two words for the Mariners in light of this week’s news: Theo Epstein.

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If there was one move the team could make that would instantly grant credibility in the clubhouse, with agents and with MLB officials, it would be this one hire.

Epstein, who of course won championships as a general manager for the Red Sox and Cubs, stepped down from his job with the Cubs a few months ago. He is advising Major League Baseball as a consultant for on-field matters, and just a couple of weeks ago was hired by a company called Arctos Sports Partners, which buys minority stakes in pro sports teams.

“Being part of an ownership group is something that has always appealed to me,” Epstein said in his Cubs farewell press conference, “but it can seem so unattainable that I haven’t been really realistic about it yet. … A lot of things would have to go right for that to happen.”

If ever the Mariners were going to do something to turn around their fortunes, it would be involving Theo Epstein in the franchise. Make him team president with a stake in the club and the Mariners suddenly become a go-to destination for the first time since the last century. It would be like waving a magic wand and eliminating 20 years of futility. I cannot imagine a fan who would not be galvanized by that move. I cannot imagine anyone in the organization not being excited about it, as well, and he no longer wishes to be a GM so there’s nothing for Jerry Dipoto to worry about.

If there was ever a time to do something bold like this, it’s now. A big, dramatic, game-changing move.

C’mon Mariners, pull the trigger.

Follow Dave “The Groz” Grosby on Twitter.

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