The Chicago Cubs hired former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon days after Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays. Joe Maddon is considered to be a top 5 manager in Major League Baseball and the Cubs were desperate to find a coach of his caliber after 5 consecutive losing seasons and over a century without a World Series. Joe Maddon was the Rays manager from 2006-2014 and led them to their first World Series appearance as an organization in 2008 but lost against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cubs have a lot of young talent mostly because of team president Theo Epstein who was the youngest General Manager in MLB history at the age of 28 when he was hired by the Boston Red Sox in 2002. He was a big part of the Red Sox first World Series title in over 86 years when they won it in 2004 and again in 2007. Epstein was hired in 2011 as team president for the Cubs and he's been trading the best talented players in order to have a strong farm system; which according to MLB.com the Chicago Cubs had the best farm system since July of this year. But after promoting a few talented prospects to the big leagues during this season like Javier Baez and Jorge Soler the Cubs are now ranked #6. With the addition of GM Maddon and the Cubs looking to pursue top free agents in the off season along with their young talented prospects the Cubs are looking to make a push for the playoffs this upcoming season. The goal is obviously to win a World Series and by signing Maddon to a long-term deal the Chicago Cubs are serious about contending.
No comments:
Post a Comment