Joe Maddon, one of the best managers in baseball, opted out of his contract with the Rays last week and could have a new home as early as 2015. Sports writers and reporters across the country believe Maddon's likely landing spot is with the Chicago Cubs.
Although Maddon cited his contract extension as the reason for leaving Tampa Bay, there were a number of other red flags that coincided with his departure, including Andrew Friedman's exit and discussions about the team moving to Montreal. Owner Stuart Sternberg also said the team would be reducing its payroll for 2015, which is rarely ever good news. Maddon finally spoke about his departure with MLB.com's Bill Chastain:
"I know that Matthew [Silverman] reached out and they came up with an offer," he said. "It did not meet up to what I [wanted] and we came to an impasse. And that happens. There's no friction between me and him or me and [principal owner] Stu [Sternberg]. I had great conversations with Matthew and Stu, they were very candid and open. I felt good about it moving forward. I hope they don't feel betrayed, because I don't feel betrayed by the offer."
Additionally, this was the first time Maddon had an opportunity to make a decision to explore other options during his time with Tampa Bay and ultimately decided to do so. The Cubs are not only a young and upward trending team, but they also have the money to throw at Maddon, who is looking to be paid as a top manager. Maddon's agent reportedly spoke with ten teams since the manager opted out of his contract, but sources say the Cubs are confident they will land him.
"Internally, the belief the Cubs will land Maddon is strong enough that a source suggested team president Theo Epstein traveled this weekend to Florida to meet with Maddon," writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "Maddon's Chicago-based agent, Alan Nero, said that's not true."
Nero has represented other managers in the past, including Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella, so he likely knows how to handle the media in such situations. But despite his comments, the speculation will not stop. The timing has been too perfect for this scenario to occur and for nothing to happen. Cubs' president Theo Epstein said the team would be searching outside the organization in the offseason for more talent and experience, and now that Maddon is available, the notion probably isn't limited to just players.
"The Rays were a drafting and development machine the way Theo Epstein said the Cubs would become," writes Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune. "The Rays were smart, flexible and good the way Epstein is fashioning the Cubs. The Rays competed almost every season the way Epstein intends. Maddon embraces metrics the way Epstein insists."
However, a reason the speculation could be ramped is because the Cubs are toning down talks about Maddon to avoid upstaging the World Series, according the Sun-Times' Wittenmyer.
Whatever the case, let's say Maddon indeed lands with the Cubs. Can he attract other talent to join the young team in Chicago? The Cubs are desperately in need of pitching, and Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields are all available this offseason. Lester has ties to Theo Epstein because the two were together in Boston for years and Shields has ties with Maddon from their time spent in Tampa Bay. Lester is perhaps has the best resume out of these three free agents, so the bidding war for him could get excessive, which may force Chicago to settle with Shields, who has much experience pitching for young teams (Rays and Royals). The Tigers are probably going to work hard to retain Scherzer.
Based on Maddon's proven success with younger Rays' teams in the past, other free-agent starting pitchers may be inclined to sign with the Cubs if Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer show interest. Other solid arms on the market include Edinson Volquez, Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana and Chris Young, among others. Shields might be the best option for the Cubs if they land Maddon, primarily because the two have a past relationship. Additionally, the right-hander is going to be 33 years old and has less-than-impressive numbers in the postseason, which could lower his price.
But money may not matter to the Cubs this offseason. Their payroll as of right now is $31.1 million with their largest obligations being starter Edwin Jackson ($13 million), shortstop Starlin Castro ($6.8 million), first baseman Anthony Rizzo ($5.2 million) and outfielder Jorge Soler ($2.6 million). Their starting rotation ranked 24th in the MLB in terms of ERA (4.11) and 19th in opposing batting average (.259). Epstein and Hoyer could have been saving money for this exact opportunity - to sign big name pitchers.
Many believe it's imperative for the Cubs to hire Maddon for a number of reasons - one of them being so they can have more leverage when it comes to the available free-agent starting pitchers. But as of right now it's unknown what the Cubs' plan is or what Maddon wants to do.
