Theo is back - Or did he ever leave?

On Friday, January 18th, the Boston Red Sox announced that former GM Theo Epstein would rejoin the organization in an unspecified role. Details of the announcement will be expanded upon the following week. So what does this mean for the state of Red Sox Nation?
Good question. The hometown team currently has two GM's in place. It is getting very crowded at the top of the food chain on Yawkey Avenue. Until more details are revealed, the rest of us will keep guessing what the next step is. Since his sudden and shocking Halloween departure in a gorilla suit, the faces of the team are no longer. JD is now JCNY, opting for the big bucks. Mueller and Millar are donning new uni's next season, along with Edgar Renteria, Mike Meyers, Doug Mirabelli & Chad Bradford. John Olerud retired. The Sox have picked up a slew of new players while still short on two key positions. Theo will have to re-introduce himself to the turnover. Many in the baseball community question how many of the former players would have stayed if Theo were on board. And how many of these deals would have actually been made? The one deal he promised to work on, involving David Wells, is still right here, awaiting his return like a puppy waiting for it's master.
The brass seems to have made several rash decisions over the hot stove season with no apparent game plan in place. Theo has become the master of plan A,B, C, D, &E, while the men hired to fill his once vacant shoes show no such thoughtful planning. With only weeks to go before the beginning of spring training, fans are still guessing to see who their starting shortstop and centerfielder will be.
Will Theo restore order to The Nation. If anyone can, Theo can. He has made some challenging and bold transactions during his brief 3 year tenure, some not working out at all. But he has made those decisions. And the coming weeks should tell us if he still has it after a self-imposed 3 month sabbatical. Welcome back, Theo. Well, did you ever leave?
(Photo courtesy Bostondirtdogs.com)