Joe Maddon, a former two-time American League Manager of the Year, is reportedly headed to the North Side to manage the Chicago Cubs.
Theo Epstein apparently read the Milwaukee Bucks’ playbook on coaching/managerial hiring.
With Rick Renteria having just completed his first season as the manager of the Chicago Cubs, the Cubs are reportedly bringing in former Tampa Bay Rays skipper Joe Maddon to manage the team in 2015, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
joe maddon to become cubs manager. story up soon at @CBSSports
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 29, 2014
Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays last week after nine years in St. Petersburg, where he transformed the then-Devil Rays from doormat to a team that won at least 90 games five times in six seasons.
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But the Rays slumped to 77-85 and finished fourth in the American League East last season, as continued atrophy because of a small budget combined with injuries ravaged Tampa Bay’s rotation for much of the season.
Maddon was the American League Manager of the Year in 2008 when he led the Rays to the first playoff appearance in franchise history, winning the AL East before taking the American League pennant. The Rays eventually lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
After slipping to 84-78 in 2009, the Rays won at least 90 games in each of the next four seasons, making three more playoff appearances. Maddon won a second Manager of the Year honor in 2011.
In nine years in Tampa Bay, Maddon was 754-705, but the Rays were 627-508 after dropping the “Devil” from their name following the 2007 season.
Maddon also was interim manager of the Angels twice, going 8-14 in 1996 before the team brought in Terry Collins the following season and was 19-10 to close out the 1999 campaign prior to the hiring of Mike Scioscia.
In what appears to be his only season in Chicago, Renteria was 73-89. Renteria was a coach for the San Diego Padres from 2008-13 before getting the managerial gig with the Cubs.
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