The Chicago Cubs introduced Joe Maddon as their new manager last Monday and dismissed Rick Renteria after just one season with the team. Now the Cubs are facing tampering allegations as the MLB has opened an investigation into the team's hiring of Maddon.
The former Tampa Bay Rays manager opted out of his contract on October 23 thanks to a fine-print clause that allowed him to do so if one of the team's three top executives were to leave the organization. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman left the Rays in October to pursue a position in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, which prompted Maddon to opt out.
But the Rays didn't believe that was Maddon's reason for leaving. They considered filing tampering charges against the Cubs because Tampa Bay felt Chicago lured Maddon away and convinced him to opt out of the final year of his contract. In 2014 the Rays suffered their first losing season since 2007, while the Cubs are trending upward with their young core, flexible payroll and new management. Maddon cited his reason for leaving Tampa Bay was over annual salary disputes, but team president Matt Silverman said he believed they made generous offers to Maddon.
"The Rays remain convinced that the Cubs enticed Maddon to opt out of the final year of his contract last week rather than reaching out afterward," wrote Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "As a result, they are still considering filing tampering charges or a complaint to get Major League Baseball to investigate the matter, with any potential compensation (A fine? A player?) determined by the commissioner's office."
The Rays didn't follow through with it, but now the MLB has taken their complaint and will act on it. The league contacted the Cubs and Maddon's agent, Alan Nero, and notified them that an investigation of Maddon's hiring process is underway. Nero said Maddon exercised his opt-out clause after talks of an extension with the Rays broke down, which was when he began contacting other teams about the manager's availability. This would indicate no tampering occurred, but if found guilty, the Cubs would have to compensate the Rays in some way, which the MLB will determine.
"We welcome the MLB investigation," Epstein said, via this CSN Chicago article. "As we said last week, there was no tampering whatsoever. I'd rather they investigate, so we can clear our names and move on from this quickly. We're giving our full cooperation and we welcome it."
