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The speculation started back earlier in the season when Bob Nightengale reported in USA Today that Joe Maddon’s job might be in jeopardy if the Cubs had an early exit in the playoffs. They did, failing to wrap up the division in September, losing the tie-breaker to the Brewers and then losing to the Rockies in the Wild Card Game. There was even more speculation before Tuesday’s game, as David Kaplan reported basically the same thing about Maddon’s job security.
That became the biggest news after the 2-1 loss in the Wild Card Game, the quickest exit from the playoffs by the Cubs under Maddon. Will he back for 2019?
The answer seems to be yes. Maddon is expected back in 2019, which is the final year of his five-year contract. That’s according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Via ESPN.
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Cubs manager Joe Maddon is expected return for a fifth season despite his team losing the NL Central tiebreaker and NL wild-card games on back-to-back days this week, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN on Wednesday.
Maddon is set to make $6 million next season.
sources say Joe Maddon will be back for a 5th season as cubs manager next year. there is no discussion of an extension. neither side has broached the matter, so likelihood he enters 2019 as a lame duck (albeit a high-priced lame duck).
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 3, 2018
So, he won’t be going anywhere, however there hasn’t been any word about a contract extension.
Earlier on Wednesday there was a report by Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic pointing to some tension between Maddon and Theo Epstein.
Via The Athletic.
Maddon, though, is a celebrity manager, more difficult to control than less-experienced types, and perhaps not as much of a grinder as some. He also has given Epstein a number of reasons to be irritated this season – reasons that, if Epstein was so inclined, might push him to make a managerial change.
However, Rosenthal also wrote this.
Whatever Maddon’s faults, it’s difficult to imagine the Cubs firing him if their biggest complaint is that Epstein finds him annoying or difficult to work with. Any manager who replaced Maddon would be hard-pressed to match his success, not to mention his charisma and popularity.
And well by now, we know that Maddon won’t be fired.
Yet, with no extension, not even one more year added, this still creates an awkward situation for the Cubs and Maddon in 2019. What happens if the team starts off slow? Questions will be raised again about his job security.
We’ll know more later today, when Epstein will have his end of the season press conference with the media.
At no point did I ever think Maddon was on the hot seat. I mean, look at what Anthony Rizzo, the captain of the team, said after the Wild Card Game loss.
#Cubs Rizzo on Maddon: "I think he managed his ass off this year with what we've been dealt with as far as losing Yu, as far as losing Morrow, Stroppy going down late, K.B. not being healthy, and we still figured out a way to win. That's all a credit to him."
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) October 3, 2018
He wasn’t alone strongly defending Maddon.
"We love our manager."
Joe Maddon's players came to his defense last night, including Javy Baez, Willson Contreras and Kyle Hendricks: https://t.co/Q2kBrMy50V pic.twitter.com/iX7QkosapE
— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) October 3, 2018
Pretty simple take here by me. If they Cubs fire Maddon, they lose the clubhouse.
