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(WSCR) When Jed Hoyer decided to team up with his old buddy Theo Epstein from Boston, he knew he'd be making a lateral move.
Hoyer, who left his post as general manager of the San Diego Padres to take the same position with the Cubs, will now report to Epstein in Chicago.
So why the lateral move for the 37-year-old, who already has two World Series titles under his belt?
"There's a chance to do something historic here," Hoyer told The Mully and Hanley Show on Wednesday. "There's no other place to feel what we felt in 2004 in Boston in sports than in Chicago. It's a lot of fun, and if I have to have another level of management ahead of me, that's OK."
LISTEN: Jed Hoyer on The Mully and Hanley Show
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Working under Epstein will be nothing new for Hoyer as he did the same in Boston. The two teamed up to end Boston's 86-year World Series drought.
For the Red Sox, Hoyer was just an assistant, but now, he has two years of general managing experience to bring to the table.
"Now that I've been a GM in San Diego for two years, it allows him to give me a lot more responsibility than he could in Boston," Epstein said. "That's a big part of (me coming to Chicago). The way I saw it, this was too good of an opportunity for me to pass up."
With the additions of Hoyer, Epstein and scouting director Jason McLeod, there has been a palpable buzz at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, however, are coming off a season where they won 71 games and finished fifth in the NL Central.
To Hoyer, that's doesn't necessarily mean the Cubs are years away from competitng for the NL Central crown.
"At the major league level, especially with the resources the Cubs have, every year we need to put a team on the field that we feel has a chance," Hoyer said. "You never know what happens. In 2010 in San Diego, we were predicted to win 71 games -- we won 90."
A key piece to the Cubs future success will be the development of Starlin Castro. Though Castro struggled at shortstop, Hoyer isn't concerned.
"I certainly view him as a shortstop," he said. "I need to get into the numbers and take a closer look, because I know he did make a lot of errors last year. I think people have to remember how young this kid is. ... For most kids at that age, they're playing Double-A or they're a junior in college."
