CHICAGO — Right after Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay, the Chicago Cubs were mentioned as a possible landing spot for one of baseball’s best managers.
Flush with prospects and ready to make a splash in free agency, the Cubs already had a manager in Rick Renteria. But they just couldn’t resist the lure of Maddon’s sudden availability.
Looking for a turnaround after five consecutive losing seasons, the Cubs announced Friday that they had hired Maddon to replace Renteria after just one year on the job. The move pairs the respected Maddon with a promising roster and a franchise with far more resources than he ever enjoyed with the small-market Rays.
Renteria was fired after leading Chicago to a 73-89 record in his only season as a major league manager. It was a seven-win improvement from 2013, the last of Dale Sveum’s two years in charge, but not close to reaching the playoffs or putting the Cubs in position to win their first World Series title since 1908.
“Maddon — who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us — had become a free agent,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said in a statement.
“We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe.”
Epstein said the Cubs were “transparent” at all times with Renteria once Maddon became available two weeks ago.
“Rick often said he was the beneficiary of the hard work of others who came before him,” he said. “Now, in the young players he helped, we reap the benefits of his hard work as we move forward. He deserved better and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Renteria’s agent, Ken Solomon, declined comment. He also said Renteria will not comment.
Maddon opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay after Andrew Friedman left the Rays’ front office to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 14.
Maddon’s free agency created a buzz during the World Series, with the talk centering on where he might go and all the possibilities for his new job.
The answer became public just two days after San Francisco’s Game 7 win over the Royals, with Maddon becoming Chicago’s fifth manager since the start of the 2010 season and the 54th in the history of the woebegone franchise.
Maddon had a 754-705 record in nine seasons in Tampa Bay, leading the club to four playoff appearances, two AL East titles and a five-game loss to Philadelphia in the 2008 World Series.