Theo Epstein, the executive who brought a World Series title to Chicago after a century-long drought, has stepped down as president of baseball operations for the Cubs and will be replaced by Jed Hoyer, the team said Tuesday.Epstein, 46, was the architect of the Cubs’ World Series title in 2016, the club’s first in 108 years. Epstein was entering the final year of his contract and leaves after nine seasons. “For the rest of my life, I will cherish having been part of the great Chicago Cubs organization during this historic period,” Epstein said in a statement. “All of the things that have made this experience so special -- the fans, the players, the managers and coaches, ownership, my front office colleagues, the uniqueness of the Wrigley experience, the history -- make it so tough to leave the Cubs. But I believe this is the right decision for me even if it’s a difficult one. And now is the right time rather than a year from now. “The organization faces a number of decisions this winter that carry long-term consequences; those types of decisions are best made by someone who will be here for a long period rather than just one more year. Jed has earned this opportunity and is absolutely the right person to take over this baseball operation at such an important time,” Epstein said. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts announced Tuesday that this potential move had been discussed over the last several years.