If you were sitting by your computer, TV, radio or smartphone today waiting for an announcement that Theo Epstein was officially being named general manager of the Chicago Cubs, you can breathe now.

Reports from both Boston (via Sean MacAdam) and Chicago (via Gordon Wittenmyer) indicate that no announcement is likely to be made Tuesday, which is an unofficial “deadline” before the World Series begins Wednesday. Bud Selig doesn’t like major announcements of this type supposedly “distracting” from the Series, but as Craig Calcaterra points out, should that matter in the modern communication age?

… that whole “it distracts from the World Series spotlight” notion seems like an antiquated one. It’s not like it was 25 years ago when the baseball press was only able to handle one big baseball story a day due to column inches and travel and communication limitations and stuff. Fifteen things can happen on the same day and they’ll all get covered.

No one who is predisposed to watch the World Series is going to avoid it because of a story about negotiations over an executive.

It’s possible that Selig would permit an announcement Friday, an off day for the World Series. The rest of those links contains the usual speculation about who might go to Boston in compensation (possibly Trey McNutt and “a lesser prospect”), the Cubs’ rejection of requests for major league pitchers (Matt Garza, Andrew Cashner), and reports on how both sides are being “tough”.

There is one new piece of information, from MacAdam:

One issue that is not a sticking point, contrary to multiple reports, is the matter of which current Red Sox employees would join Epstein in Chicago. A mutual understanding is in place that Epstein will not “raid” the Red Sox baseball operations department.

As always, we await further developments.