Joe Maddon’s agent said at least 10 MLB teams have called him with job offers for the respected former Tampa Bay Rays manager, who opted out of his contract this week, with typical managerial job offers and more curious front office positions.
Joe Maddon shocked the Tampa Bay Rays — and MLB — this week by opting out of his contract (via a clause he had no idea he had), and the market for the veteran manager has begun to heat up. His agent, Alan Nero, said Maddon has received calls from 10 different teams, with job offers ranging from the expected managerial jobs to more interesting front office roles, similar to Tony La Russa’s job of Chief Baseball Officer with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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The interest in Maddon isn’t surprising, as he’s considered one of the finest managers in the game, and has an innovative baseball mind that could prove valuable in a variety of roles. But despite rumors of interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hired Maddon’s friend and former boss Andrew Friedman away from the Rays earlier this month with a record-setting contract, and the Los Angeles Angels, Maddon’s former team, it appears that the Chicago Cubs are the most serious contender for Maddon’s services, though Nero said he believed things would become clearer next week.
While the Cubs appear to be happy with how first-year manager Rick Renteria handled the team in the 2014 season, the chance for team president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer to grab an elite manager such as Maddon might be too tempting to pass up. Epstein interviewed Maddon for the Boston Red Sox manager’s job before eventually hiring Terry Francona in 2003, and Maddon was believed to be the runner up for that job.
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