Options For The Chicago Cubs If They Move On From Manager Joe Maddon At The End Of The Season

By Jordan Long

The Chicago Cubs are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.  They are 82-74, 7 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for 1^st place in the National League Central Division.  Chicago sit 4 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2^nd Wild Card spot.  If the Cubs fail to make the postseason, it could be the end of Joe Maddon’s time as manager whose contract is up at the end of the year.

               Maddon was hired prior the 2015 season.  He was fired from Tampa Bay after 9 years.  In Chicago all Maddon has done is make the Cubs into a winner.  His overall record is 469-335 or a winning percentage .583 with 4 trips to the postseason.

               The Cubs were successful in the playoffs under Maddon.  They earned 2 trips to the National League Championship Series and one World Series.  Maddon helped the Cubs reverse the “curse of the billy goat” by winning the World Series in 2016, their first victory in 108 years.

               This season wasn’t his best for Chicago.  He waited too long to take pitchers out of games.  Chicago’s starting pitching ERA this year is 4.11, 11^th in baseball.   Maddon can’t trust the bullpen to hold leads.  The bullpen’s ERA is 3.89 which is 6^th in MLB.  Those are not awful stats for the bullpen but the problem is blown saves.  Pitchers can’t hold leads and blow them in the 9^th.  Chicago has 28 blown saves which is the difference this year.

               There are rumors Maddon will be gone after the Cubs last game on September 29^th.  There are two names floated who might take the job, David Ross and Joe Girardi.  Ross is the least experienced out of the two.  He has never managed at any level.  The only baseball knowledge Ross has is as catcher when he played MLB baseball from 2002 to 2016.  Ross would be learning on the job.

               Girardi makes more sense.  The Cubs are familiar with him since he played for them for 7 years.  His first stint was from 1989 to 1992.  He came back to Chicago in 2000 and left in 2002.

 Girardi has 11 years of managerial experience.  He managed the Florida Marlins for 1 year and New York Yankees for 10.  His overall record is an impressive 910-710, a winning percentage of .562.  His teams made the playoffs 6 times.  The Yankees advanced to 3 American League Championship Series and 1 World Series under him.  They won it all in 2009.

               The Cubs will must make a decision on who they want moving forward.  Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein will do what is best for the team.  Hopefully it is the right move and they can focus on improving the baseball team next year if they miss the postseason.