As I’ve said from the moment the Chicago Cubs managerial decision came down to Mike Quade and Ryne Sandberg: if Sandberg wasn’t chosen, he was done with the Cubs organization for a while.
And so it is.
The Cubs offered Sandberg a chance to return as manager at Triple-A Iowa. But Hendry said he spoke to Sandberg over the weekend and was told he declined the offer.
“I don’t think that was ever in his plans,” Hendry said.
Sandberg is pursuing a coaching or managerial position elsewhere.
“He’ll always be a beloved Cub,” Hendry said. “And hopefully we’ll hook up in the path that he feels appropriate in the near future.”
Double-A manager Bill Dancy may move up to Triple-A Iowa to replace Sandberg. Dancy joined the Cubs last year after 35 years in the Phillies organization.  Chicago Breaking Sports.
The Cubs caught a lot of flack for not offering Sandberg a different job immediately (Sandberg was famously quoted as not having heard about any offer directly from the Cubs when he was told that Jim Hendry said Sandberg was welcome back), but the Hendry quote makes pretty clear that the Cubs knew all along that if Sandberg didn’t get the big job, he was moving elsewhere.
It’s a bummer, because it’s always nice to have the team’s legends still associated with the team. In that regard, I’m sure Sandberg will be back some day. For now, he’ll find a coaching job somewhere, and polish his resume.