11:25am: Cubs president Theo Epstein has issued a lengthy statement praising Sveum for his work on game-planning and defensive positioning, and never complaining about the hand he was dealt while with the Cubs. Within the statement, he adds that he and GM Jed Hoyer accept responsibility for the team's win-loss record, which is the result of their own rebuilding plan. Says Epstein:
"Today, we made the very difficult decision to relieve Dale Sveum of his duties as Cubs manager. Dale has been a committed leader for this team the last two seasons, and I want to thank him for all of his dedication and hard work. I have a lot of admiration for Dale personally, and we all learned a lot from the way he has handled the trying circumstances of the last two years, especially the last two weeks, with strength and dignity."
The entire statement can be read over at CSNChicago.com.
10:59am: The Cubs have fired manager Dale Sveum, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Sveum took over as the Cubs manager at the onset of the 2012 campaign and has managed the team to a 127-197 record in two seasons at the helm. He hasn't been handed a great deal of big league talent to work with from the rebuilding Cubs. Sveum has previously served as a third base coach for the Red Sox and was also the bench coach and third base coach for the Brewers before eventually taking over as their interim manager to close out the 2008 season. He finished that season 7-5 and lost to the Phillies in the NLDS.
Sveum has been thought to be on thin ice for quite some time now, and there are rumblings that Chicago native Joe Girardi could be of interest to the Cubs. Girardi's contract with the Yankees ran only through the 2013 season.
