Trusting the Cubs’ front office in hiring Joe Maddon

It’s easy to question the Chicago Cubs front office management – its something that we have gotten used to over the years.  The moves that were made and the moves that were not made that could have changed our seasons.  When Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer came into Chicago, they needed to make some tough decisions.  I’m sure they knew they would have their fans and critics with each decision, that just comes with the job of being a part of management.

With rebuilding the organization from the ground up, they knew that the right manager was needed to help groom the new wave of young talent that was going to be brought in to be the future building blocks of the Chicago Cubs.  While Mike Quade was a popular manager with the players and the fans, he had a below .500 winning percentage with the Cubs.  It was a tough situation Quade was put into – following Lou Piniella is no easy task for anyone, especially someone getting his very first chance as being a big league manager.

After one hundred and ninety-nine games as the Cubs manager, Quade was let go.  It was time to find Epstein and Hoyer’s ideal leader for the new and young Chicago Cubs. There were a lot of names that were rumored and a lot of opinions being shared.  A few of the popular names were Mike Maddux, Terry Francona, and Ryne Sandberg.

Maddux was an interesting candidate considering he was the older brother of Cubs legend Greg Maddux.  The thought of a package deal of having Maddux being the manager and potentially adding Greg Maddux in a more permanent front office or scouting position had Cubs fans thinking this was a great move. Another thing Maddux brought to the table was his success with starting pitching and getting the most out of his pitchers.

Francona was an instant candidate with most considering his past ties with Epstein and Hoyer. He helped win a World Series following a long drought in Boston; how epic would it have been to see these three do the unspeakable again with the Cubs? While I never thought it was much of an option, I’d be lying if I didn’t dream about the possibilities myself.

Sandberg had success in the Cubs minor league system, it seemed logical to promote him to the big league team.  He did have first hand experience with the young players that were being brought up since he had managed many of them at one time. He was a fan favorite during his tenure with the Cubs from 1982-1994, and then again for his comeback in 1996-1997.

Sandberg was my choice for who I wanted to be manager.  He was the reason I became a Cubs fan, he was my favorite player growing up.  I will say though, I did fear what would happen to his legacy if he was to become the manager and not bring this Cubs team to the world series and deliver us a championship. I think maybe management also thought the same and ultimately led to the Cubs going in a different direction and Sandberg as well.

Signing Dale Sveum was what a lot of the experts said would happen.  He was the third base coach for Boston under Francona and had a lot of the same philosophy as Epstein and Hoyer had with analytics.  He brought a new philosophy to Chicago but also brought a hard-working attitude that a lot of players and fans could appreciate. Focusing on some of the fundamentals like bunting was something that he sold me on and I thought for sure he would be the right man for the job.

Unfortunately things did not pan out for Sveum.  Players not developing fast enough or at all in some cases caused for his early dismissal in late 2013 after leading the Cubs to a dismal 127-197 team record.  It was time to look in another direction.

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Rick Renteria was named the next manager of the Cubs, and while it was a surprise with some, he had a lot in his favor. With the influx of Latin American talent coming into the majors, it was thought that maybe he could help bridge the language barrier and also act as the mentor that was needed for the young players the Cubs had been stock piling in their rebuilding efforts. He let Starlin Castro be himself at the plate, which led to a bounce back season as he set a high with 14 home runs. It seemed as the Cubs had found their man with Renteria….that was until Joe Maddon broke the news to the Tampa Bay Rays that he was opting out of his contract to become a free agent.

In what seemed like a dream come true, fans and experts alike all started to fit Maddon for his new office in Wrigley Field.  In less than a weeks time, Renteria was fired as the Cubs’ manager to make way for Maddon to come aboard.  While it left a bitter taste in the mouth of a lot of people, can you blame Epstein and Hoyer for doing what they thought was right? They were hired to do a job, that job was to make the Cubs a winner again.

Maddon’s a proven winner, as he did it in Tampa Bay with a roster that started out very similar to the one he has now in Chicago. The only thing that is different this time around, he now has the financial resources available to him that he didn’t have in Tampa Bay.  He was constantly dealing with the task of replacing star after star because of financial reasons, that won’t be the case anymore.

Maddon brings a personality that will work well with this young team.  He keeps things light in the club house but always gets the most out of everyone he has. When you have a manager like Maddon who cares as much as he does about winning and his players, you will find that those players will go out of their way to make sure they can do everything in their power to win – and winning is what this team is destined for.

Next: A look at the Cubs potential batting order