Joe Maddon opts out of contract

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

we should hope that maddon decides to take a year off. that way RRR gets his final year and then the brewers can hire maddon. back up the brinks truck and pay him whatever he wants. this is the rare type of manager in baseball like francona that can completely change a team. brewers would be in tremendous shape with maddon as manager.

 

too bad it's looking like he's headed to chicago. man epstein, maddon, and a young talented roster? cubs would have a good shot at finally breaking that pathetic record.

[nate82]

I am not sure why everyone is fawning over Maddon so much. Maddon has the same exact strategy that Roenicke uses. I guess it is just a different name that makes everyone so excited over what we already have.

[DocLuna7]

Does Maddon have any previous relationship with new Braves team exec John Hart?

[Invader3K]

I hope people realize that if Maddon wasn't happy in Tampa, there's no way he's coming to Milwaukee. Sounds like it's big market or bust for him.

[pitchleague]

The guys on MLB Radio this afternoon said (paraphrasing), "Don't be surprised to see Mark Attanasio make a move for him as well."

 

Take that for what it's worth.

[craigharmann]

Best one was from my Cardinal friend, who said that the Cards should hire Maddon and make Matheny his "assistant". Yeah........

Whoa, whoa, whoa -- what an honor!

 

#BestFansInBaseball

 

Yeah, I tried to explain....

[JohnBriggs12]

I am not sure why everyone is fawning over Maddon so much. Maddon has the same exact strategy that Roenicke uses. I guess it is just a different name that makes everyone so excited over what we already have.

 

Similar strategies perhaps, but vastly different results. There's more to managing than strategizing. Maddon's got respect that Roenicke lacks. Cubs aren't unhappy with Renteria, but they would hire Maddon in a heartbeat, then try and keep Renteria around in some capacity. With Roenicke clearly on the hot seat entering 2015, might he accept a deal where he steps down and becomes Maddon's bench coach? That would certainly give him more job security and it might appeal to Maddon, if the dollars are competitive.

[monty57]

I hope people realize that if Maddon wasn't happy in Tampa, there's no way he's coming to Milwaukee. Sounds like it's big market or bust for him.

 

I think it's "big money or bust." Sounds to me like he would have stayed in Tampa if they would have paid what he's asking. It wasn't that he "wasn't happy" there. If the Brewers dumped Roenicke and offered the money Maddon was asking from Tampa, he'd likely listen. However, I think he and Roenicke coached together in LA, so he may not want to be the reason his friend gets fired. But much bigger than that is whether it's worth it for a team like the Brewers to dish out big money to their manager.

 

Is the relative value of Maddon over Roenicke worth the significant money it would cost, or could that money be better used elsewhere?

 

My guess is that he'll go to the Cubs, who have plenty of money and would love to have a big name manager for the fans to fawn over. He is a good manager, so if he does go there, that will make it even harder for the Brewers to compete in their division in the foreseeable future. That could be a reason for the Brewers to make a play for him, but it's much more likely he just goes to Chicago where he will be looked at as a hero as the team starts winning games after a sustained period of losing.

[logan82]

Is the relative value of Maddon over Roenicke worth the significant money it would cost, or could that money be better used elsewhere?

No, managers are going to look good if they have a good pen and bad if they don't. Last I read Maddon liked small ball strategy so it would be more of the same. Macha's handling of strategy along with our current manager's demeanor along with Yost's handling of young guys is close to a perfect manager.

[Point Beer Is Best]

anyone else feel that he is going to take the year off, work for ESPN or MLBN and realize he can get any job he wants in 2016.

 

In a sport filled with "unwritten rules", here's one that's pretty common across all sports:

 

You don't go after another man's coaching job.

 

Jason Kidd caught a lot of flack for that this offseason in the NBA. You're just not supposed to do it.

[JohnBriggs12]

The Cubs job is his if he wants it and the price is right and we'll know by Friday. That's what's being reported down here.

[Bombers]

And there it is ... Your new manager of the Chicago Cubs.

 

 

Per CBS Sports: Joe Maddon has agreed to become manager of the Chicago Cubs, Jon Heyman reports.

 

(Updated for source)

[502 to Right]

This is not a good thing for Brewer fans.

[MNBrew]

This is not a good thing for Brewer fans.

This may be right, but it also means nothing 'til games start getting played.

[chadomac]

I agree with whoever mentioned he and Roenicke seem to be very similar managers. Any of you that don't like Roenicke but fear Maddon in Chicago... I don't get that.

[monty57]

From a baseball perspective, the biggest thing for the Cubs is whether or not their manager can work with young players to get them to gel into a winning team. Maddon seems to have been pretty good at that with Tampa. From a sales perspective, he also gives them "star power," which excites the fans and can't hurt after years of losing during the rebuild.

[pacopete4]

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PLAYERS YOU GET TO MANAGE!

 

Can't say that enough. If you're a Brewers fan and you're mad about our team, it lies with Doug Melvin. I personally think we are doing quite well as a franchise but some fans refuse to look at the big picture of things.

[monty57]

If you're a Brewers fan and you're mad about our team, it lies with Doug Melvin.

 

I mostly agree, but please add Attanasio's "meddling" in player personnel decisions to the end of the statement. He's apparently the force behind at least the Suppan, Lohse and Garza signings, and seems to be the one directing the ship as to whether we focus on "today" or "tomorrow."

 

but some fans refuse to look at the big picture of things.

 

I'm sure that's directed at me and a few others. Not quite sure how my dislike of going "all in" for the current year at the expense of the future is refusing to look at the "big picture." I think it's the opposite of that. I'd ask you to expand on that criticism, but that would hijack the thread.

 

To the topic of the thread:

 

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PLAYERS YOU GET TO MANAGE!

 

So is your argument is that a baseball team could pick anyone out of the stands, and it would make no difference over the course of a 162-game season? Surely the guy making a big paycheck to fill out the lineup cards has something to do with the success or failure of a team. The players are the most important part of the equation, but the manager does matter.

 

The Cubs have a young, talented lineup. Some managers are better with lineups like these, while others prefer lineups built around veterans. Maddon has done well with Tampa, which has redefined team-building around young, talented players, so it would seem that he should fit in with the Cubs as they are being built. The people of Chicago (I live in that neck of the woods) are a different breed. They will go nuts over this signing. That may not seem like much from a purely baseball standpoint, but it will almost assure the games get sold out and merchandise gets sold. Anyone looking at "the big picture" will note how important this extra revenue is when building a team. He also becomes the center of media focus, which takes some attention/pressure off the young players, and he keeps things fun and light, which over the course of a season can have a positive emotional effect on players. With many managers who try this, the team gets out of control, but that hasn't been the case with him, so he seems to know how to do it right. Finally, he brings "street cred" by having taken teams to the playoffs. Again, from a pure stat standpoint, this doesn't mean anything, but for a young player, knowing that your coach has "been there" can be important. Maybe someone like Castro will actually listen to him, when he wouldn't listen to the nobody's they've had managing there in the recent past.

 

Maybe none of this will mean anything. Maybe the random guy from the stands would do just as fine a job, but I doubt it. The Cubs have assembled a lot of young talent, they're likely to add some really good talent this offseason, and now they have a manager who has shown the ability to hold it all together. They've been on an upward slope from the depths of the rebuild, but now they've just hastened their climb. I now think it's pretty likely they'll finish above the Brewers in 2015, and very likely they will be much better than the Brewers over the foreseeable future.

[pacopete4]

If you're a Brewers fan and you're mad about our team, it lies with Doug Melvin.

 

I mostly agree, but please add Attanasio's "meddling" in player personnel decisions to the end of the statement. He's apparently the force behind at least the Suppan, Lohse and Garza signings, and seems to be the one directing the ship as to whether we focus on "today" or "tomorrow."

 

but some fans refuse to look at the big picture of things.

 

I'm sure that's directed at me and a few others. Not quite sure how my dislike of going "all in" for the current year at the expense of the future is refusing to look at the "big picture." I think it's the opposite of that. I'd ask you to expand on that criticism, but that would hijack the thread.

 

To the topic of the thread:

 

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PLAYERS YOU GET TO MANAGE!

 

So is your argument is that a baseball team could pick anyone out of the stands, and it would make no difference over the course of a 162-game season? Surely the guy making a big paycheck to fill out the lineup cards has something to do with the success or failure of a team. The players are the most important part of the equation, but the manager does matter.

 

The Cubs have a young, talented lineup. Some managers are better with lineups like these, while others prefer lineups built around veterans. Maddon has done well with Tampa, which has redefined team-building around young, talented players, so it would seem that he should fit in with the Cubs as they are being built. The people of Chicago (I live in that neck of the woods) are a different breed. They will go nuts over this signing. That may not seem like much from a purely baseball standpoint, but it will almost assure the games get sold out and merchandise gets sold. Anyone looking at "the big picture" will note how important this extra revenue is when building a team. He also becomes the center of media focus, which takes some attention/pressure off the young players, and he keeps things fun and light, which over the course of a season can have a positive emotional effect on players. With many managers who try this, the team gets out of control, but that hasn't been the case with him, so he seems to know how to do it right. Finally, he brings "street cred" by having taken teams to the playoffs. Again, from a pure stat standpoint, this doesn't mean anything, but for a young player, knowing that your coach has "been there" can be important. Maybe someone like Castro will actually listen to him, when he wouldn't listen to the nobody's they've had managing there in the recent past.

 

Maybe none of this will mean anything. Maybe the random guy from the stands would do just as fine a job, but I doubt it. The Cubs have assembled a lot of young talent, they're likely to add some really good talent this offseason, and now they have a manager who has shown the ability to hold it all together. They've been on an upward slope from the depths of the rebuild, but now they've just hastened their climb. I now think it's pretty likely they'll finish above the Brewers in 2015, and very likely they will be much better than the Brewers over the foreseeable future.

 

I really didn't mean my post towards anyone on here in particular. And I do believe the manager has a lot to do with the game but I also realize if you do not have the horses, you do not win games. It was not RR's fault the offense stunk so bad in the 2nd half last year just like it wasn't his doing that they were so great in the first half. The players take that responsibility.

 

If you do not like RR, it is because you do not like his style of play. But his style of play can win just as many games as the other styles of play in the MLB. Fans complain about managers, its just what we do.

[monty57]

If you do not like RR, it is because you do not like his style of play. But his style of play can win just as many games as the other styles of play in the MLB. Fans complain about managers, its just what we do.

 

Agreed. Maddon and Roenicke come from the same stable, so I agree with the sentiment that Brewer fans shouldn't have wanted Roenicke fired to be replaced by Maddon. I also don't think any manager alone will make the a team win. However, the Cubs have made the right management moves in the recent past. Few fans want a rebuild, but bringing in Theo (who is credited with turning around Boston) allowed the fans to accept the necessary rebuild. Now, in the final stages of that rebuild as the prospects are joining the MLB team and team is ready to start adding pieces to win at the MLB level, I can't think of many other managers who would be a better fit for them than Maddon.

 

It may all fall apart, but the Cubs are laying the foundation to become a good team for the long-run. In a division that already has the Cardinals and the newly resurgent Pirates (who also look to be building for long-term sucess), it is going to make things difficult for the Brewers who spent a lot of capital to win in what they perceived as their window of opportunity and seem to be in need of at least a "retooling" if not a full-scale rebuild.

[pacopete4]

If they are going to rebuild than we should be selling Braun, Lucroy, Gomez etc.. now so we can obtain multiple young blue chip pieces that we can develop into the future. The problem is, Mark A is not going to go this route. He thinks he can win now and win every year. They will continue to pay people in their mid 30's too much money and not get enough in return.

[homer]

Maddon had the benefit of some pretty stellar pitching staffs in Tampa. Cubs need to do a little more in that area before he can work his "magic" at Wrigley.

[monty57]

Maddon had the benefit of some pretty stellar pitching staffs in Tampa. Cubs need to do a little more in that area before he can work his "magic" at Wrigley.

 

He's set to have a lot more offensive talent than he ever had with the Rays, and will certainly have a much bigger payroll. I'd be pretty surprised if Lester or another top free agent pitcher isn't wearing a Cub uniform next year. They're only obligated to $31MM next year, so they can probably easily add over $100MM to their budget. With that in mind, not many teams will be able to compete with them on the open market and they really don't need to spend anything on position players, so if they want, they could probably get two (or three) of Lester, Shields and Scherzer and still add Price next offseason. Throw in Peavy at the back of the rotation, because apparently if Lester signs, he'll probably sign for league minimum just to play for the Cubs with Lester.

 

2015 may be too early for Cub fans to pre-order World Series tickets, but they should be much better than they were in 2014 and they are on a steady uphill track. They're about where the Brewers were in 2007 or so, but they have a lot more money to add the pitching the Brewers lacked.

[pacopete4]

Well we can always hope they make some big signings and they don't pan out for them and it's just a bunch of wasted money. I mean it is the Cubs we are talking about.

[reillymcshane]

Cubs will add a couple of key pieces this year (Lester and Russell Martin would be good starts), then a couple of more next (David Price would a good start), making them a a true force in 2016.

 

They'll be interesting this year, but with so many young players, it's going to take time for some of them to adjust to the big leagues. Bryant, Baez, Addison Russell, Solar, Almora, Alcantara and Schwarber - it's a great bunch of prospects, but some of these guys aren't quite ready and will need some more minor league time, while others will just take time to adjust to the big leagues. I don't expect Baez to keep hitting .169 like he did last year, but it may take some time to adjust. He (and others) may flame out, but the quantity of guys quality prospects is impressive.

 

If you add in a catcher like Martin, plus Rizzo and Castro, it's will be a fun team. Growing pains for sure, but by 2016 a lot of things should come together.

 

The young position players will allow the team to spend freely over the next couple years on starting pitching, which is lackluster beyond Arietta. Add in Lester and Price, maybe a mid-tier guy, and you start having something really interesting.