Cubs’ Theo Epstein reportedly met with Joe Maddon recently

As Joe Maddon watch enters its first full week, details remain blurry as to what ties – if any – the Chicago Cubs have to the former Tampa Bay Rays skipper, who opted out of the final year of his contract last week after Andrew Friedman packed his bags to become the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new president of baseball operations.

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However, one Chicago Sun-Times report indicates that the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, Theo Epstein, traveled to Florida recently to meet with Maddon, although the 60-year-old Maddon’s agent, Alan Nero, denied such reports.

"Internally, the belief the Cubs will land Maddon is strong enough that a source suggested team president Theo Epstein traveled this weekend to Florida to meet with Maddon."

In all, according to Nero, 10 teams have contacted him regarding the former American League Manager of the Year for positions ranging from manager to front office executive, although he is reportedly leery of taking a front office role because he worries that team’s manager may feel he is essentially waiting in the wings to replace him should he stumble. Maddon is also reportedly willing to sit out 2015 if need be.

"“There’s a sensitivity to this. Everybody being talked about has a manager,” said Nero of the fact that only the Minnesota Twins (and now the Rays) have a managerial vacancy. “All speculation does is create harm. Rick Renteria is the Cubs’ manager until something else happens that changes that.”"

The report goes on to say that Renteria has not returned calls or texts for two days, and also points out that the team is yet to make a public statement on Maddon or its current manager, although that could partially be explained by the fact that teams largely try to avoid making headlines during the World Series. It is worth noting, however, that several teams, including the Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, all released statements backing their current managers in the wake of Maddon’s departure from Tampa Bay.

"“And nothing more than a phone call has happened with anybody,” said Nero, who added that he didn’t expect more clarity any sooner than the middle of next week. “To speculate is absolutely insane.”"

With things on the back burner in terms of Maddon’s next move, reporters have been delving into his departure from the Rays, where he helped the franchise turn a corner, creating a player-friendly, winning culture in recent years. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the two sides had talked about an extension ranging anywhere from three to 10 years before his abrupt departure – thanks to a clause Nero had put into his most recent contract.

The Cubs improved by seven games under Renteria in 2014, with the arrival of some of the organization’s top prospects, including Javier Baez and Jorge Soler headlining the season, but countless reports indicate that the love affair is a mutual one between Chicago and Maddon, who reportedly finished runner-up to Terry Francona to manage the Red Sox when Epstein was at the helm in Boston.

"They have the money to pay Maddon the $5 million for four-five years he’d want, the core of young talent he could mold, the big-market stage he’d enjoy, the intellectual stimulation of NL rules, the chance to be deified for winning a long-sought championship there. During the Rays’ August visit to Wrigley Field, Maddon raved about the atmosphere."

So for now, there’s no word on Maddon’s next move. All signs point to Chicago. But as Cubs’ fans learned last winter in the team’s ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Joe Girardi and heralded free agent arm Masahiro Tanaka, nothing is a given in the world of baseball.

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