The Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday, and now it seems all but certain that Joe Maddon will not return as the team’s manager.
President Theo Epstein said before the season and has promised all along that big changes were in store if the team did not turn things around. By collapsing in the last few weeks the way they have, Maddon’s fate was probably sealed.
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester knows what awaits Maddon but wants to make sure fans appreciate what the manager has done for the team.
Jon Lester on Joe Maddon: "He should be revered as a legend in this town for a long, long time."
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) September 26, 2019
More Lester on Maddon: “You talk about a rebuild, you talk about signings, you talk about all that stuff, he was the first guy to write his name on the paper. He believed. Him believing made other people believe. What he’s done for this city, its huge.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) September 26, 2019
The Cubs may decide that they need a new voice leading the team. That’s probably better than having the cloud of Maddon uncertainty hovering over the team and the threat of major changes.
But Maddon’s body of work is admirable. He won 97 games in his first season with the team, 103 the next, and then 92 and 95. He took the Cubs to at least the NLCS in three straight years, and of course, he won the team’s first World Series since 1908, breaking a nearly 100-year-long curse. Except for this year’s disappointment, Maddon did incredible things for the Cubs. He’ll be sought-after if he ends up looking for a new job.
