Red Sox Replace Epstein, Name Cherington New GM

Ben Cherington was introduced Tuesday as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox after spending three seasons as Theo Epstein's assistant.

The 37-year-old Cherington appeared at a news conference three hours after another one in Chicago at which the Cubs introduced Epstein as their president of baseball operations.

Cherington's top priorities will be finding a manager to replace Terry Francona, who left two days after the Red Sox completed a September collapse that left them out of the playoffs. Cherington also must decide whether to try to retain designated hitter David Ortiz and closer Jonathan Papelbon, who can become free agents.

"We've let our fans down in some important ways recently," Cherington said. "The last few weeks have been painful, difficult, but what I'm left with is an incredible conviction that the Red Sox will be the best organization in baseball moving forward."

He will also be working on obtaining compensation from the Cubs for hiring Epstein with one year left on his Red Sox contract.

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom