Oct. 8: Girardi will interview tomorrow, Gonzales further reports, with Ross slated to interview later in the week. Venable, meanwhile, interviewed for the position yesterday.
Oct. 4: The Cubs have begun formal interviews as they seek to identify their next manager, the team informed reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). First-round interviews will carry into next week, at least.
First up for a chat was Mark Loretta, who served as the club’s bench coach under departing skipper Joe Maddon. Loretta had his interview yesterday. As previously reported, first base coach Will Venable will also get a chance to petition for the job. He’s slated for a sit-down next week.
Another previously reported candidate for the position, David Ross, will also get his first formal managerial interview next week. The veteran backstop-turned-analyst has long been speculated as a candidate.
Ross is not far removed from being an in-uniform veteran presence, but has never held a coaching or managing position. Loretta and Venable each have coaching experience, but neither has ever managed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cubs will also look at more experienced candidates. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein has said he’d “have a greater comfort for someone handling the role before.”
Joe Girardi is about as experienced as any managerial candidate, having helmed the Marlins for one season before a decade-long stint with the Yankees. He’s also slated to chat with Epstein and company next week.
Indication has been that the Cubs will look far and wide for candidates. If so, it would stand to reason that other names will still pop up for first-round interviews. The existing slate, after all, isn’t exactly an exotic group in terms of background. Two are former Chicago catchers while the others were in Cubs uniforms in the just-completed campaign.
I hear Joe Maddon is available…
He is ? I thought teams were lining up and fighting for his services :-)
Double down on the older, “player’s manager” and interview Jack McKeon, Charlie Manuel, and Jim Leyland. DD Jr…errr Epstein can then work on his next curse-breaking challenge.
Somebody get Frank Robinson on the phone.
Never mind, a year too late on that.
That’s really bad taste
Ozzie?
Alive I know
Bring back Lee Elia
Is he still alive?
Yup, 82 years old.
AND PRINT IT!!!
Are the Cub fans finally employed?
Bring back Elia
Cubs should hire Lloyd McClendon, after all the work he put in to make Nick “Don’t call me Nick” Castellenos a superstar.
In Dusty we Tristy available?
I hope the cubs take a look at Cole Figueroa
Smart young baseball mind.
Joe Maddon might be a good fit.
Last time I looked, the last Manager he hired raised a Championship Flag!
why wouldnt Ryne Sandberg get favorable attention and in a interview.
Wasn’t he a successful AAA manager and they passed him over a while back?
Ryno has the personality of a boring interview that’s being done on a two minute satellite transmission gap.
but knows the Cubs and is an experienced manager at all levels of the cubs org. except for the top seat but did that with mixed results in philly
Mixed results! Ryno was terrible in Philly. His rhetoric couldn’t inspire a horse to drink water even if you brought the water to the horse instead of the other way around.
Cubs have bigger problems than who ends up the manager. They have 3 1/2 reliable hitters (Bryant, Baez, Rizzo and Contreras). I don’t like any of their outfielders who, as a group, I would rate a Gentleman’s C. Not good enough for the Dean’s List but decent enough to stay in school.
Starting pitching? With no sure fire starters at AAA, to replace Hamels, they have to rely on a digressing Lester and Quintana; a solid guy in Hendricks and the iffy Darvish because with Darvish, you just don’t know what you’re going to get from year to year.
One key to success in 2020 will be Hoerner. One less hole to fill if he can be the everyday 2B or SS. If Castellanos returns, make that two fewer holes to fill.
Theo ought to open up the checkbook and go after Gerret Cole or Rendon. If it’s Rendon, play Bryant in LF and trade Schwarber for a #3 or #4 starting pitcher (Zach Eflin-Phillies?). He’s an AL DH, anyway.
Some good commentary here but a reminder: Only Tom Ricketts “can open up the checkbook” for the free agents you suggest.
Btw: If the Cubs sign Anthony Rendon they should trade Kris Bryant. The latter ought to bring back a TOR pitcher which could make pursuing Gerrit Cole unnecessary. Cole will likely sign with the Angels anyway since they are a 20-minute drive from his home in Newport Beach, California. If not the Angels, the Dodgers or Padres would be more than willing to make Cole a rich man.
He’s a head case. He’s awful
They need someone that will hold a player accountable when he hits a ball, drops his bat, watches it, sees it hit off of the center field wall, then starts running, and ends up at first on a long single.
And yes I am talking about “El Mago”
That would be David Ross. If you read his book “Teammate,” Ross was known by fellow Cub players to offer a lot of encouragement and praise but if a player made an error or didn’t look like he was giving it his all in a game, Ross addressed it in the dugout in front of everyone by confronting that player. The dugout would get quiet when he did but it was out of respect and a recognition that it was deserved. Once Ross was gone, ther was a void because no one filled that role. As a result, players got complacent. As Epstein discussed in his final press conference, stats in areas like errors , base running, and inability to advance refract their sloppy play . Ross will expect 100% from all of them every day and run a tighter ship,
This will be a significant hire for the cubs. If they hire Ross or someone from within the organization who knows the players, it means they’re keeping most of the roster intact. If they hire an experienced manager, it means they’re planning major changes the next few offseasons, incrementally do as not to upset the fanbase. My personal choice would be Girardi.
*so as not…
To build on that, do you think that if they bring in a relatively unknown or inexperienced skip that they will rebuild/retool the next couple years?
Epstein said he values an experienced manager, so it’s doubtful he hires someone who hasn’t managed at the big league level. He would hire someone connected to the team/organization, like Ross, if the plan was to keep the roster intact for another year or two. I still think Ross is a longshot. Girardi is the guy, which means major roster changes to cone.
* to come…
I would think Girardi would command a fairly steep salary. With all the talk of ownership tightening payroll, do you think that they could afford him or be willing to actually pay a fair salary to someone like him?
Girardi SUCKS! Hire him and few if any Cubs ill sign an extention. (#saynotojoe)
How about Mike Matheny ?
I think you mean Mike Methaney
This is an interesting search. There are multiple facets to management, notably ability to connect to players, create a constructive working environment, and implementing in game strategy.
With front offices so involved in the latter, I wonder if a former player who can handle the first two with a bench coach/advisor who can work with the numbers people emerges here. Or around MLB in general.
I definitely think it is a two person job nowadays.
If its a 2 person job which person is in charge
Try something new like AI.
you never have to worry about practice
I initially thought it would be Jody Davis….but now am thinking Mark Grace has an outside chance as well.
Pretty sure Mark Grace is banned from traveling by vehicle. How will get him to the ballpark?
Uber
Why does the next manager need to be an ex Cub? Maddon was not and he was the best they have had.
The won in spite of him, not because of him.
I’ve never forgiven Grace for his statement when the D-Backs won the World Series (I’m not good enough to play for the Chicago Cubs, but I’m good enough to play for the WORLD CHAMPION DIAMONDBACKS!) I rooted for him during that series, then took his comment as a slap in the face. He owes all Cub fans an apology.
Grace got told when he did the one year deal in 2000 not try again cause they won’t bring him back how is that rude
How bout Jason Giambi?
Oh sure, and while we’re at it, let’s call Barry Bonds…oh oh I hear Sammy Sosa’s available! Or even Mark
macguire!
You know good pick I think he would surprise you. I also think Mike Redmond would be a good choice too
I hear Cito Gaston took a team up North to back2back championships. And his successor, John Gibbons was succesful. Hell throw in John Farrell even though he dropped and took Sox to WS champs!
For some stupid reason the Indians will fire Francona and they will hire him to continue the Boston/Chicago connection. /s for those who don’t know I’m being sarcastic but it honestly wouldn’t surprise me
He’s probably the best in the league right now.
He’s probably the best in baseball but it’s Cleveland so nothing would surprise me. I’d be happy to see him go honestly and selfishly.
I predict they go with the Princeton man.
Ron Roenicke. Book it.
Maddon is a former Angels coach, so they will want to keep that former Angels connection by bringing in Roenicke. As an added bonus, they can rub it in the Brewers face as their old manager leads the Cubbies to the title.
Let’s go Cubbies!
Ha ha. Good one
I believe Joe Girardi has signed up with the Mets. Which is a shame, because he’s a really good color analyst at Fox Sports and MLB Network.
So yes I am a Cardinals fan (take all the shots you want) but was Maddon really the issue for the baby bears? Inflated payroll, bad contracts and poor upper management had nothing to do with their demise after winning the lone world series ring they posses in the time span it took for the great depression all the way to Trump being president???? Im just saying, if baseball has taught us anything, you cant buy your way to a WS ring no matter how much they cost…..
Tell that to the Marlins, they only did it twice
CardsFan Maddon was not the issue at all. Good points you made.
wordonthestreet and Cardsfan77… The Cubs were the worst team in baseball in making outs while on base and made the 2nd most errors as well. That gentleman, is fundamentals and squarely on the shoulders of Madden. He also repeatedly pulled starters too early in games only to turn it over to a chronically shaky bullpen. Yes, the players have to play, but you guys are giving him way too easy a pass.
Perfectly stated
Yeah, tell that to the Yankees and Redsox. No one can take a Cardinals Fan’s opinion on the Cubs seriously.
Um, Bryant, Baez, Contreras, Schwarber, Howrner, Almora…picked by the team. Rizzo, Hendricks, Addison, Strop—minor league talent developed from trades. Yes, they signed some players in FA to fortify the team and try for repeats—but they did not “buy” a World Series, nor were they only trying to buy one. The team is still very good based on the talent they drafted and promoted from minors.
Maddon lost the ability to get more out of his team, plain and simple. The last two years were filled with Bryzzo and Lester making excuses for the team needing not to panic because seasons are long. They need a manager who demand s the talent play every game with a sense of urgency through hustle. The year they won the WS they were hungry—every hit was celebrated as a team with dugout acknowledgments. That team ran the bases hard and played defense better. They came back in so many games because they didn’t want to lose. I put their motivation on the manager.
Lester is aging and should not open the season as starter. Quintana needs to be traded—he was a wasted trade Theo should not have made.
Ross seems like the only one who isn’t tainted by the complacencies and who may revive the spark from years ago.
I dunno. I kinda like the Quintana trade.
Cubs 2016 Astros 2017 Red Sox 2018 all had top payrolls . Cards in 2011 the last cheapskates to win
“Cubs 2016 Astros 2017 Red Sox 2018 all had top payrolls . Cards in 2011 the last cheapskates to win”
Cards had the 10th highest payroll in 2011 at $113,348,748 out of 30 teams. Not exactly cheapskates.
Ross!!!
You gotta be kidding to want Ross
Ross would be great. I have followed the Cubs for almost 70 years through all the hard times and heartbreak and if they hire Girardi, I’m done with them!
Well if that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back, then maybe Girardi won’t be so bad after all.
Would Tony LaRussa ever consider getting back in the dugout? Or is he a front office guy the rest of the way? Seems to me that he excelled as a manager (3x WS champ and 4x manager of the year) yet has struggled somewhat in the front office having been demoted in Arizona before resigning and bouncing over Boston. He would definitely intrigue me even though my heart is with David Ross.
Ruckuss use your head not your heart!
Hey Theo, I’ve got a great candidate. He’s a legendary manager….one of the best that has ever coached. His name is Joe Maddon. Oh wait…you fired him, in order to try and cover up your mistakes. Still can’t believe what this front office has done. What a joke.
Agreed jdan74!
He was never fired. He just wasn’t resigned.
somebody email Mike Matheny. His wife will set up a skype date.
As a Sox fan may I suggest Robin Ventura?
Resume:
Experience
1. Coached his son’s little league team
2. Managed White Sox
First of all I’m not saying they haven’t developed great talent nor am I bashing on the Cubs … all I’m saying is they have one of the highest payrolls in baseball and there’s really no way of excusing that especially when they may have to let some of that top-tier Talent walk because of payroll constrictions period you can’t tell me that the Heyward contract or so far Darvish or Quintana has paid off with great dividends
CardsFan Quintana was not signed. He was traded for. A bad trade but still a trade nonetheless. He is paid around $10.5 million on one year options the last few season with one more option. Financially Q is not the problem
Should I even mention the genius signing of Craig Kimbrel? He will never be what he used to be period.. But now he is getting paid the best closer in baseball
Nice try. Kimbrel is not getting paid like he is the best closer in baseball. Not even close.
Thwy ahould have dobe a manager/ player swap… Addison Russell and Maddon to the Pirates for Hurdle abd Vasquez… Wait, too soon for that joke??
You’ve officially worn out your welcome.
Maybe it’s time for Theo to look in the mirror for the problem? He depleted the Cubs farm system of their top prospects. Toress to the Yankees for 2 months of Chapman and then let him go. Signs a broken down closer for $50 mil. Trades a budding superstar in Eloy Jiminez and a potential front line pitcher for mediocre Quintana whi couldn’t get past 3 innings his last 5 starts. Blew up payroll by grossly overpaying Jason Hayward who is untradable.. Now he’s 27th ranked farm system in MLB. No prospects to trade..
No. Maddon wasn’t the problem
cubs fans won’t blame Theo because his name gives them clout. They’ll get tired of him eventually, but it’s going to take a few more years of bad decisions.
Cubs should hire Girardi
#saynotojoe. They don’t need a disciplinarian to chase away those who would have re-signed. DAVE ROSS!
When did Will Venable retire? I didn’t know he was a coach. I thought he was probably off trying out for a team in Japan or Korea
Herman Franks.
Tony Romo can see the future in Football games, give him a try at a managerial career.
Jody Davis. with Davey Lopes as his bench coach. Maybe bring in Steve Trout for pitching coach – all coaches will be cubbie alum.. Andre Dawson as hitting coach and bring in Ryan Theriot and keith moreland for the 2 base coaches.
Screw Theriot. He is a Cardinal not a Cub. Remember what he said about the Cubs when he became a Cardinal?
Really hope the g-men don’t hire Joe G. Kenny Albert is somehow taller and AJ Persentpunk has more knowledge. # let AJ finally make his giants money
I nominate a combination of YU Darvish’s translator and Jack McKeon’s cigar