Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein explained in general terms what he’s looking for in his next manager. The person must have “leadership and communication skills; he must place an emphasis on preparation and accountability; he must establish high standards and a winning culture; he must have integrity and an open mind; and he must have managerial or coaching experience at the major league level,” Epstein stated yesterday. Here are some specifics on the Cubs’ search, with the most recent updates up top:
- There's "very little" chance the Cubs hire Francona, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). He suggests Epstein was merely being polite.
- Epstein says the Cubs haven't determined whether former Red Sox manager Terry Francona would be a fit in Chicago, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
- Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux and Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum are at or near the top of the Cubs’ list, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Sveum interviewed for Boston’s managerial opening and Maddux is another candidate for the Red Sox, according to the Sun-Times. The Cubs and Red Sox have both asked to interview Maddux, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin will interview with the Cubs, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Mackanin also interviewed in Boston.
- Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona and Rays manager Joe Maddon aren’t candidates for the position, according to the Sun-Times. Francona is a candidate in St. Louis, along with Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.
I’d like Mike Maddux, especially if it made Greg Maddux more interested in returning to the organization in some role. (I’d really like Sandberg but apparently that is no longer a realistic option). I could live with Sveum I suppose. But please, no to Pete Mackanin. It’s nothing against him personally or an indictment of the job I think he could do, I’m just not interested in a 60 year old manager. I’m not interested in a manager who might not even be ABLE to be around when the Cubs become a serious team to deal with. I want somebody who can come in, put his stamp on the major-league team and get the minor league players to understand what is expected of them the second they step foot on an MLB field.
Like that 67 year old guy from St. Louis.. What was his name again?? Tony something???
I wouldn’t want Tony LaRussa either, neither based on his age nor the fact that I frankly don’t like him. What was your point?
Everybody was talking like it would be Francona…but it obviously wasn’t ever going to be, see he said “High standards and integrity..” that would mean Theo doesn’t want drinking in the dugout..haha
Didn’t the Cubs hire some big-time hitting coach from Texas? What is his status?
Are you referring to hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo?
yes signed or gone
rudy, the pitching coach and one more are signed on for next year, and it’s the new manager’s option to bring them back. all the rest are free to sign elsewhere while manager job remains in limbo. read this yesterday.
Listach is the other one and Riggins is the pitching coach. All of them look to be on the outs.
Someone please explain how Epstien didn’t even consider Ryno for this opportunity?!! It blows-my-mind to think that he would not even consider sitting down with Ryno to present his abilities to turn this team around?! As a life-long Cub fan this upsets me to no-end! And to think that the Cardinals gave Ryno the respect to sit urks me even more! I was ‘gun-ho’ about the thought of Epstien coming in and changing our organization from top-to-bottom to finally bring the Cubs a much needed Championship, but to not give an opportunity to someone who devoted his baseball career to the organization (He is in Cooperstown with a “C” hat on his head!), who did his time by going to the minors and proving himself worthy of a chance…. It makes no sense! I live in Miami and Joe Girardi got an opportunity with the Marlins (who had no prior managerial experience) and was Manager of the Year his first season! And how has his managing career gone?!!…. But we can’t see what Ryno can do with a team that is not even suposse to contend this year?!!! Give him a similar deal they gave Quade: Two year deal with an option for a third and see what he can do!! Am I wrong??
You are correct – He worked in minors for Cubs – those players should be close to majors -Theo’s ego – He wants all the headlines
The Cubs actually have very few players in their system who are that close to being ready for the majors.
didn’t epstein originally interview ryno last year in an attempt to get him as manager @ pawtucket, before he signed on with the phillies?
He did which also tells me that although he may think highly of Ryno, he knows he’s not the guy he wants in the manager’s seat.
HVega – you are completely wrong. Just because he played for the Cubs
doesn’t mean he’s the right choice for manager. Theo is going to hire
the best man for the job. Sure Sandburg may end up being a good coach in
the major leagues, but we don’t want good, we want great. And even
more so, we want someone who is inline with the new way management is thinking. This isn’t the old Cubs anymore. No more glorifying players who were good while they were here and never won anything. Its time to start operating like a “big-boy” club, and big-boy clubs don’t hire coaches based on what hat they wore while playing 15 years ago. And I really don’t understand why you would reference what they gave Quade as a good thing. That “experiment” did not work and they are eating part of that contract now because of it. Not to mention why do you want a coach that you have to give a 2 year deal just to see if it will work. That’s operating like a small market team.
I’m sorry that you won’t get to see your wish of Ryno being the next Cubs manager. But would you settle for a Championship team in the next 3-5 years? Because that’s what Theo is building, and hiring a guy like Sandburg would put that timeline way off.
*SANDBERG…..if u can’t get the icons name right…then i suggest not talking about him.
Well you got me there (sarcasm). You just have to love the Message Board Spell Checkers. Go away unless you have a point.
there are no points to make…its a message board and its all opinions….but when a joke like u shows up and spouts your thoughts but can’t seem to spell the main characters name right…then i got a real hard time giving your opinion any time to see if there may be any value to it…..as soon as i saw that i stopped reading and realized this guy has no idea who ryne even is….and without checking wikipedia you probably thought his name was ryan sandburg. so what im saying donny boy is keep your opinions to yourself if you don’t know anything about what “point” your trying to make. and as for my opinion….im just trusting in theo, he’s proven and as a life long cubbie, i kind of embrace the fact that he is cutting lose the “cubbie way” ……..its gotten us no where since forever…..so i have hope that theo will turn it around cause many of us have for far too long seen through the “loveable loser” tunnel vision…theo see’s the big picture….i hope.
Seriously? You are going to be the grammar enforcer, Captain Run On Sentence?
i said nothing of grammar, jack….you must have no opinion at all to be rootin around in this convo….i feel sad for ya lil guy…..u must feel like u have no place in this message board….or maybe in this world. loser
So the players and managers are important enough to ensure that their names are spelled correctly, but not enough to capitalize their names?
another guy looking to find a place in this message board??? hmm maybe u and dhooooooozer should get together and start ur own convo.
First, spelling IS grammar, jack. And I’m the loser? Pretty sure you spent the first three quarters of your post criticizing the guy before you for spelling Sandberg’s name wrong. Actually, I do have an opinion on this story, and have been commenting on it in other posts.
Before you criticize other people’s writing…maybe…you…should…read…your…own…writing…first…
still trying to find your place i see….keep on keeping on lil fella…u’ll get there.
Sweet comeback.
*YOU…..if u can’t get YOU right…then i suggest not talking.
‘No more glorifying players who were good while they were here and never won anything”.
– Girardi hasn’t won anything????!!!!!!!!! Um… I think he has a World Series Ring and has been successful at manager. Who (out of the current group listed or outside of this list) would you chose to run this team out of curiosity?
You are comparing apples and oranges with Girardi. The Cubs weren’t hiring a manager in ’06 when Girardi got the gig in Florida. And you’re right, he had no experience and has been a success. But if you want to pull out the list of guys who got jobs with no major league experience, I’m guessing the “flop” list is a lot longer than the success list.
And you want my opinion who the next Cubs coach should be? I’ll go with the guy that my team President and GM feel will fit best into their system. You have to realize that EpstienHoyer are not just going to hire a “baseball guy” because he’s good. They need to hire a guy that will go along with their philosophy for acquiring talent. The guys they draft and sign as free agents need to be able to mesh with the mentality of the manager. If they decide that its Francona, Sveum, or the boogie man I’ll support it.
I would definitely vote for a one season contract for the Boogeyman. Imagine Pujols trying to hit anything with the Boogeyman staring him down from the dugout!
Correct me if I’m worng (and I might be…) didn’t Girardi win a world series when he was playing for the Yankees?
He was a Cub in the past and wanted the CUBS job when Lou was chosen.
There is adifference between Giardi,Quade and Sandberg. Giardi and Quade had major league coaching experience. I like Sandberg myself, but I would like him to be a bench coach first then a manager. Just because he is a fan favorite and a HOFer doesnt not quailfy him to be a MLB mgr.
Sandberg is a Cubs icon. But let’s face it… Cubs are going to stink for the next three years or so while Epstein rebuilds. I doubt the manager will matter much during that period. Would you rather hate a hero because he can’t get it done without talent? I’d hire someone who isn’t going to last too long, but can improve the team while he’s here, then hire Sandberg (if he’s available) after the team starts swinging upwards. Saves Sandberg the boos while they’re in the cellar, and Epstein from firing him to save face.
That’s one way to look at it, or I would rather hire someone that has been in Theo’s system, knows what to expect, and knows what to teach the players on a day to day basis. I don’t want a manager to just come in to play manager for 3 years and then hire your guy, if that were the case you keep Quade in there. You hire a guy that going into it as an organization you know you might not compete in the short term, but this guy will be the guy that is here long term to take you over the hump.
I think Ryno will get a chance in the next 4 or 5 years to manage, but he needs to spend a season or 2 as a bench coach dealing with MLB players, egos, game situations. He was my favorite player of all time, but I think his own ego has created a situation in which he almost sounds entitled to a job because he has done an above average job in the minors.
Theo, like it or not or admit it or not, has a LOT of pressure to succeed in Chicago. He was basically introduced as the savior to the franchise. Ryno just could not be on his to be hired list as, let’s face it, Ryno is a bit of a project. He has no track record, and his biggest asset has been working with current young Cubs players. I do have to say though, these young players (other than Castro) have not been pieces that will stay here over the course of 5 years, so one of his biggest assets no longer exists.
Theo is going to look for more of “his guys”. Coaches that know and can relate to the “Cubs Way” which he is trying to instill at all levels of the organization. Honestly what will probably happen is the Phillies bench coach, Pete Mackanin, will get a job somewhere, Ryno will be offered a promotion to the MLB bench coach position of the Phillies, and then a year or two after that he will get a chance to manage at the MLB level, just not with the Cubs.
I wonder if sandberg could be the bench coach… would he and epstein be ok with that… what does everyone else think? Someone with a strong pitching background like mike maddux for the head coach?
What about another guy named Maddux as pitching coach? I think he wore a Cub uniform before.
I think the major league experience shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Sandberg seems (from what I have read in the past) to fit in with the rest of the qualifications. I would think that if you got a manager (like Ryno) that met those qualifications, and he had a veteran coaching staff behind him, his major league experience would be a non-issue.
At least deserves an interview….
Lets all not forget that Theo did interview him back in Boston last year for the Pawtucket job. So he knows exactly who he is and what he is about. There’s obviously a reason that Theo isn’t considering him for this job. And since he did offer him the Pawtucket job he must think highly of him but I think that makes it even more obvious that he knows who he wants to hire and considers that person as an even better fit than Sandberg.
Its time to separate Ryne Sandberg the Cub and Ryne Sandberg the manager. Of the list of available managers (and lets not think the Cubs aren’t looking at guys like Maddon who are employed already) Sandberg is probably somewhere in the top 10. I think the new Cubs want the #1 guy (whoever that may be) and not just a top 10 guy because he played at Wrigley Field in the 80’s and 90’s.
I’d assume the reason is that Theo and the Cubs front office don’t want to fire him if it doesn’t work out.
Or they just want to start with somebody who doesn’t have that much of a learning curve in the Major Leagues. Sandberg will get a shot from somebody, he could even end up on the coaching staff as a bench coach.
Greg Maddux is already Special Assistant to the General Manager
Out of curiosity though, is that a position he is keeping, seeing as how he was a Hendry hire? From what I’ve heard/read, for all intents and purposes, Theo is GM and Hoyer is his assistant, the titles were just so Theo got a title bump, and Hoyer didn’t get a title demotion.
according to the cubs website, he is still on staff, and hopefully he continues to stay.
Special Assistant General Manager
Heh, how hilarious would it be if they hired Francona? The whole Boston front office transplanting and moving to Chicago…
Honestly, that’d be more stupid than anything else. It’s idiotic to think that you can do one thing in one place & succeed & do the same exact thing & succeed at another. The clubs are different & are at different places.
Theo – reading between the lines – I would like a “yes” man
ESPN is reporting that Francona is very much in the running for the job. Epstein and him have been talking already. It almost sounds like the job is his if he wants it.
I don’t think Theo has multiple discussions and says a guy is at the top of his list just to be polite.