Theo Epstein extension on hold as Cubs exec enters lame duck season

Despite the Cubs’ habit of using Cubs Convention as a platform for a newsworthy announcement, don’t expect a contract extension for team president Theo Epstein to be on this year’s agenda, team chairman Tom Ricketts said Wednesday.

Although the subject has come up in conversations, the club and Epstein don’t appear close to a new deal for the team’s top baseball executive.

Epstein, who has overseen an organizational overhaul that turned a corner with last year’s playoff run, is in the final year of a five-year, $18.5 million deal.

“We talk all the time, and it comes up,” Ricketts said Wednesday, during a Cubs Caravan event at Catholic Charities, adding that he and Epstein are “on the same page.”

Epstein has repeatedly through last season and the winter said he’s not concerned about when a deal gets done.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Ricketts said.