It’s likely that Cashman stayed because he has a superhuman tolerance for pain, a tolerance that Epstein doesn’t share. But it’s also likely that the Red Sox are going to be harder to put back together than the Yankees. In New York, Cashman at least knows he has nearly unlimited financial resources. In Boston, there’s a budget. It may be the second-highest budget in the game, but when the Yankees are first, the distance from the highest budget is $80 million — more than the payroll of the world champion White Sox.

And at least when Cashman gets second-guessed, it’s by the owner, the man signing his hefty paychecks. In Boston, according to Ron Borges, it’s Lucchino, the team president, who insists on meddling in Epstein’s affairs and battling him for the headlines and credit. And Epstein doesn’t want to take it.

At bottom though, a G.M. would put up with some office politics and sniping in the newspapers if he could see a row of championships strung out ahead of him like street lights on Storrow Drive. That goes double for a man like Epstein, who’s too young to accept losing as the normal result of anyone’s labors in sports.

If he’s leaving, it’s because he can see that the team he put together is no longer the stuff of championships but is a train wreck waiting to happen. If this were football, it might be different. With contracts that can be terminated at any time and the salary cap, football teams can be quickly rebuilt. But when baseball teams crash, it’s not nearly as easy to reassemble the parts.

This was Epstein’s dream job. He’s 31 and was offered $1.5 million a year to do it. And he’s decided that neither the money nor the job nor the dream is worth it.

He’ll get another job as soon as he wants one. But Boston isn’t likely to get another championship on the same schedule. It was great while it lasted. Epstein’s departure is a sure sign it’s over

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

Cuban ‘not on prowl’ for Dodgers, or any team Sosa’s skin undergoing color change Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay Damon, Matsui and Pettitte all could return Yankees’ Jeter, Teixeira win Gold Gloves Scully to broadcast in 2010, then decide future Baseball GMs pass on expanding instant replay Martin, Herzog, Murtaugh and Mauch on Hall ballot Free agents Circling the Bases: Blogging on news, rumors, buzz Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: