Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon says he knew he didn’t want to come back

Chicago Cubs: Last season, Maddon knew he was ready to move on

The three-time Manager of the Year sat down with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN ahead of camp opening for Los Angeles to talk about returning to the organization he grew up in and, of course, leaving the Cubs.

Maddon noted there were plenty of factors at play, most notably a more heavy-handed approach from Epstein and the Chicago front office. His leash seemingly grew shorter over the final two years of his contract – and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Philosophically, Theo needed to do what he needed to do separately. At some point, I began to interfere with his train of thought a little bit. And it’s not that I’m hardheaded. I’m inclusive. But when I started there — ’15, ’16, ’17 — it was pretty much my methods. And then all of a sudden, after ’18 going into ’19, they wanted to change everything.”

Of course, the Cubs turned in an epic September collapse over the final weeks of the 2018 season, eventually seeing the Milwaukee Brewers come out on top in a winner-take-all Game 163 at Wrigley Field before losing the aforementioned Wild Card Game. It was the first real ‘failure’ of the Maddon era – and everyone felt the pressure.

There’s no doubt – Maddon was the guy for the job heading into 2015. He had a longstanding history of getting the most out of young players and pushing them to new heights. But by 2019, the mood had soured and it was a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ when discussing his departure.

Chicago Cubs: One door closes, as another one opens

At the end of the day, there’s no disputing what Maddon and Epstein accomplished together over the last half-decade. There was a time in the not-so-distant past where PECOTA projections suggesting a Wild Card berth for the Cubs would be celebrated. Not anymore.

“There was just, you can say, philosophical differences,” Maddon said of Epstein. “But he and I are still good friends. And I like the man a lot. It was just time for him to get someone else and time for me to work somewhere else. That’s all. A five-year shelf life in Chicago is almost equivalent to five to 10 somewhere else. At the end of the day, man, there’s nothing to lament there. That was the most successful five years that the Cubs have ever had.”

Epstein revamped a ton of the organization’s internal structures this offseason – and replaced Maddon with a former player in David Ross who spent the last few years working under Epstein. Ross is his own person, sure, but you have to think Epstein will pull a lot of strings in 2020.

Meanwhile, Maddon has his eyes set on one more journey – one that he hopes ends with him hoisting another Commissioner’s Trophy in November at some point in the next three years, bringing the Angels another title before he climbs up into Cousin Eddie and rides off into the sunset.