The Chicago Cubs appear on the verge of shocking the baseball world with the hiring of manager Joe Maddon.
With the World Series yet to be completed, the Cubs remained silent in response to a report by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that Maddon, 60, who led the Tampa Bay Rays to four playoff berths in nine seasons, will replace Rick Renteria.
But a source believed that the finalizing of an agreement could occur soon. There are plenty of factors to sort out since Maddon exercised an opt-out clause in his contract last Friday, and Maddon is in demand by several teams and media outlets.
Renteria, 52, has two years left on his contract, and Cubs officials said Renteria would return for the 2015 season after praising his work with the young players, particularly Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro.
The Cubs’ coaching staff currently has only one opening, and the Rays’ coaching staff is under contract for next season. It’s uncertain whether that landscape would change. The Cubs think highly of pitching coach Chris Bosio, who joined the staff in 2012 with former manager Dale Sveum. Assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske played for Maddon in 2008 and hit 20 home runs and drove in 60 runs.
Hitting coach John Mallee and first base coach Doug Dascenzo were hired three weeks ago with the assumption they would work under Renteria.
Also, there is the possibility that the Rays could file a tampering charge against the Cubs.
“Nothing’s changed since Rick’s statement,” said Ken Solomon, Renteria’s agent, in regards to the CBS report. The statement indicated that Renteria was committed to helping the Cubs win a championship.
Maddon, would replace Rick Renteria, who had two years left on his contract after completing a 73-89 season with a stripped-down roster filled by inexperienced marquee talent.
The marriage of Maddon, who became a free agent on Oct. 24 after exercising an opt-out clause in his Rays contract, and the Cubs would occur at an important time for both parties.
If hired, Maddon would become the 54th manager in Cubs history, inherits a team seeking to challenge for a National League Central title after three consecutive seasons of midseason trades to acquire younger talent under President Theo Epstein’s long-term mission of sustained success.
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