A World Series-winning manager of a legacy baseball institution fresh off a run to the playoffs and a heartbreaking end.
There were whispers early Wednesday that Cubs manager Joe Maddon might be this year’s version of Joe Girardi, whom the Yankees opted not to bring back after reaching Game 7 of the ALCS last season.
But Maddon will be spared that fate, despite his Cubs getting eliminated Tuesday night in the NL wild-card game by the Rockies, The Athletic reported late Wednesday.
“(Cubs president) Theo Epstein says Joe Maddon will return next season as #Cubs manager,” The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney tweeted. “While acknowledging some disagreements with Maddon — and there are no ongoing extension talks — Theo insists: ‘We have a terrific working relationship.’ ”
Epstein also said: “Joe’s status remains unchanged. He’s the manager of this
team. I’m very happy about that. I look forward to him coming back next year with some unfinished business, as we all have in this organization.”
Jon Heyman of Fancred and MLB Network, as well as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, among multiple outlets, had also reported the Cubs will bring back Maddon next season, though without a contract extension. Maddon would enter 2019 as a lame duck.
Earlier, The Athletic had reported about tension between Maddon and the other brain of the organization, Epstein, a morning after Chicago couldn’t squeeze a second run across in the NL wild-card game, a 2-1 loss to the Rockies in 13 innings.
Ken Rosenthal cited the Cubs’ overworked bullpen as a possible source of Epstein frustration. A bigger strain was placed on the relievers who were still healthy after Chicago lost Brandon Morrow and Pedro Strop.
Epstein had put some of the blame on Morrow’s injury on his appearance in a June 2 game against the Mets — the fourth time in five days Maddon had used the impressive right-hander.
Strop, who had put up a 2.26 ERA in 60 games this year, was lost on Sept. 13, when he strained a hamstring running to first base when Maddon had left the interim closer in to hit.
Additionally, the report pointed to Maddon’s handling of the accusations leveled against shortstop Addison Russell. Russell’s ex-wife accused the infielder of domestic violence in a blog post, and Maddon originally said he did not read the account.
Maddon had said he expected to be back.
“I trust in Theo and Jed [Hoyer, the GM] and the boys up top, and they will make the necessary adjustments, but again that’s not within my purview,” Maddon told reporters earlier in the week. “My purview is to work with what we have, and I love what we have.”
And his players hope he will be.
“There’s absolutely nothing to that,” pitcher Kyle Hendricks told the Chicago Tribune, when asked about criticism against Maddon.
“Joe did an unbelievable job all year long with a lot of the big pieces going down throughout the entire year. Every guy coming up (from the minors), shuffling all the pieces. With the bullpen taking care of that, and to win 95 games at the end of the year, it’s where we wanted to be. We just came up a little short, but he did an unbelievable job. He shouldn’t be questioned one bit.”
“I don’t know what to say,” catcher Willson Conteras said. “I don’t make that decision.
“Joe is a great manager. He’s been great for this team. He made this team a winner. The front office made this team a winner. They were able to put a lot of young talent together. We’re like a family. We love each other. We lose together and win together. Nothing that I can do about that.”
Maddon has managed the Cubs since 2015 and led the perennially losing franchise to its first World Series title in 108 years in 2016, gotten Chicago to the postseason in all four seasons there and compiled a 387-261 regular-season record in the process.
