The reports started late last night and into the wee hours of the morning: Dale Sveum will be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs. Those reports have gotten more confident as the hours have gone by, and have reached the point where everyone accepts it as truth.
Everyone except Theo Epstein, that is. The Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations isn’t quite ready to announce his first managerial hire with the Cubs.
“We can’t address anything specifically at this point,” Epstein said as he left the GM meetings today. “As Jed said [Wednesday], we’re at that stage. We’ve been open with [the media] throughout this process, very open, but when it gets to the final inning here, we need to keep things confidential. If and when we have somthing to announce, we’ll do so.”
In baseball metaphor terms, Epstein said: “We’ve got our closer in the game. We’ve got to get the 27th out.”
Insert Carlos Marmol joke here – but, remember: the Cubs would like to get a good return if they decide to trade him. So, tread lightly.
Gleaning what’s out there, it sounds like the contract details are being worked out, but it’s just the t’s and i’s that are holding an official announcement up. The deal could be finalized anytime, and there could be a public introduction as soon as tomorrow.
I’m still going to wait on the formal announcement before throwing up my Cubs-hired-Sveum-and-here-are-my-thoughts post. But, suffice it to say, I’m confident enough that I’ve started writing it.
UPDATE: The Cubs have announced that it’s a done deal. Dale Sveum is the team’s new manager, and he’ll be introduced tomorrow at 9am CT at Wrigley Field. According to reports, Sveum is getting a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year.