The Chicago Cubs and manager Joe Maddon are parting ways after one of the most successful five-year runs in the MLB, and there are plenty of feelings flying around.

Maddon helped nurture some of Chicago's young talent when he first came to The Windy City in 2015, including the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras.

Contreras shared an embrace with his manager during the team's final game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon:

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1178387975845093376

Numerous players spoke about how much Maddon meant to the franchise, including Ben Zobrist (who also played for Maddon as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays) and Jon Lester.

Maddon will depart from Chicago as perhaps the greatest manager in franchise history. He ranks fifth on the managerial list in terms of wins, and also ranks first in team history in terms of winning percentage (live-ball era). Most importantly, he helped the Cubs end a 108-year World Series drought in 2016.

Interestingly enough, Maddon's faith in Contreras was a vital piece of the team's development in 2016. The youngster made his debut in June that year, hitting a pinch-hit homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates. From there, he never looked back.

Maddon had the faith to install the 24-year-old Contreras as the starting catcher almost immediately, a decision that Contreras would pay off in spades.

It has often been said that Maddon allows his guys to play with freedom.

Baez said Maddon “let Javy be Javy.” As for the fiery Contreras, Maddon repeatedly praised his passion and leadership skills for someone his age.

There is no question that the next manager of the Chicago Cubs will have some big shoes to fill.