Joe Maddon will not be returning as the Chicago Cubs manager for 2020. Even after a streak of four consecutive postseason appearances opened up Maddon’s career leading the Cubs, that was not enough to guarantee his job security going forward.
Since coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays, Maddon helped lead this franchise back into relevance and the playoffs. Maddon helped Chicago end its 108-year World Series title drought.
There will be a number of teams interested in Maddon's services now that he's available. While the 2019 season has been a stressful one, the 65-year-old said Sunday he wants to keep managing.
Cubs players have already publicly expressed their admiration for Maddon, and the general consensus for the team is they are very appreciative of what he helped this team accomplish in five seasons. Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez all showed their appreciation for Maddon through various interviews:
Jon Lester: "Joe should be revered as a legend here." #Cubs
— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) September 29, 2019
Ben Zobrist: There’s a sadness
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 29, 2019
Anthony Rizzo said Maddon let the players know several nights ago that he was gone. Rizzo calls him ‘a living legend’
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 29, 2019
Because of Maddon, Javy was allowed to be Javy. pic.twitter.com/LKmE40bLir
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 29, 2019
With the players having known for a few days already, they have rallied around Maddon’s departure, which is a great showing of how they felt about what he has done for them. The type of impact Maddon made on this team will not fall by the wayside, and he helped bring this team a World Series title and the relevance they deserved to earn back once again.
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