The Chicago Cubs appear on the verge of hiring Joe Maddon. The team announced on Friday that Rick manager Rick Renteria has been fired, which lends credence to recent reports indicating the Cubs have agreed to terms with Maddon.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he and the team’s front office were faced with a dilemma — to be loyal to Renteria or be loyal to the Cubs organization.
Despite rumors that the Cubs kept Renteria in the dark, the team reportedly informed him that they were working on a deal with Maddon earlier this week. Epstein said Friday that he and general manager Jed Hoyer had provided Renteria with updates and have informed him of the change.
It seems obvious that Maddon knew the Cubs job was waiting for him when he decided to opt out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, some MLB managers and executives felt it was wrong of Maddon to go after someone else’s job.
Amid widespread expectation in the industry that Maddon will be named Cubs manager, and conflicting reports about whether the hire has already happened, lifers were saying that the mere possibility did not look good. Maddon is well-liked, and his competitors are hoping that the full details, when they emerge, will prove more flattering. For now, the fraternity is displeased.
“The whole industry is talking about what a classless act (this is),” said one high-ranking major league executive.
“I certainly know that at the winter meetings, some of the older (managers), they’re going to think it looks real bad to go after someone else’s job,” said one current MLB skipper, whose team was not linked to Maddon after the former Tampa Bay manager opted out of his Rays contract last week.
Said another manager whose job was not threatened by Maddon’s surprise free agency: “I am shocked he would do this. This surprises me.”
Timing will be important. It’s hard to argue that the Cubs should pass up an opportunity to hire one of the best managers in the game. If Maddon made his intentions clear when the season ended, the Cubs should have fired Renteria then and blamed it on the 73-89 season. If Maddon just recently made up his mind, there’s really nothing Epstein and company could have done. Professional sports is a selfish industry.
