CHICAGO — Listening in on fans’ conversations during his walks home from Wrigley Field, Theo Epstein could sense their excitement as the Chicago Cubs set themselves up to capture that long-awaited World Series championship.

It was as if they were all in it together.

Epstein, who transformed the long-suffering Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016, is stepping down after nine seasons as the club’s president of baseball operations, the team announced Tuesday. General manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted to take Epstein’s place.