Report: Cherington Told By Red Sox He Is Next GM

BOSTON (CBS) – Ben Cherington is taking over for Theo Epstein once again.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, Cherington has been told by Red Sox brass he will be the man in charge, once Theo Epstein officially joins the Chicago Cubs.

This the a move that many expected once word hit Epstein was leaving town.

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Cherington, a 37-year-old New Hampshire native, does have general manager experience, filling in for Theo back in 2005. Cherington, along with Jed Hoyer (now in charge of the San Diego Padres), were named Co-GMs of the Red Sox when Epstein walked away from the team briefly, gorilla suit and all. For 80 days, the two held the torch in the Red Sox front office. They orchestrated and pulled off the 2005 trade with the Marlins that landed Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell in Boston.

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But who is Ben Cherington?

A graduate of Amherst College, he received his Masters in Sports Management from UMass. Cherington has been with the Red Sox since 1999, holding numerous positions with the organizations. He was hired by Dan Duquette in 1997, and was named Assistant Director of Player Development in 2002.

From there, Cherington helped develop one of the strongest minor league systems in the majors, growing young stars like Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis.

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For the past two years, Cherington has been in charge of scouting and player development. In that role, he consulted with Epstein on all Major League acquisitions.

Along with Epstein and the Red Sox ownership, Cherington attended the meeting with former-manager Terry Francona after the 2011 season.