The Morning Meeting and Other Managerial and Coaching Bullets

Sep 30, 2013

Dale Sveum could be learning his fate right now in a meeting with President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. While I leave open the possibility that Sveum will return for 2014, the final year of his contract with the Cubs (and, indeed, I’d still be fine with that), I’ll concede that this has all played out a little strangely if the guy is going to return. I credit Epstein for his honesty with the media in refusing to commit to (or not to) Sveum until their annual evaluation process was complete. That wraps up this morning, and we should learn what’s going to happen later today.

In the meantime …

Sveum admitted yesterday to being nervous about today’s meeting, even as he apparently chuckled. I’d love to know whether Sveum already had a sense of what was going to happen – either way – or if he’s truly as in the dark as everyone else. Whether he’s the manager of the Cubs or the manager of a restaurant, he’s still a guy who might be losing his job today. If he does, he’ll find another (even if not as a manager), though I’m sure it still sucks. With so few managerial jobs available, however, you’ve got to be really, really good to keep yours. We’ll see today if Sveum met that standard.

Sveum’s players are, as you’d expect, rallying to offer support and hope that Sveum is kept on board.

I wrote about some of Joe Girardi’s comments yesterday about his impending decision, and others who were in attendance for his comments have concluded that Girardi was strongly hinting that he’s choosing between returning to the Yankees or not managing at all next year. The quotes don’t make that clear, but if that’s the sense that folks were getting, then it’s worth noting. Joel Sherman also got that sense from Girardi’s comments, though he notes that the Cubs could look to make Girardi their big splash signing this year as the rebuild continues and attendance fades.

David Lennon of Newsday writes that Joe Girardi would be crazy to leave the Yankees now, and – apparently on that basis, alone – Lennon concludes that Girardi will not leave.

If Girardi does return to the Yankees, however, Buster Olney reports that it’s going to take a “significant” raise over the $3 million he was making. Something to keep in mind when discussing Girardi: he’d be very expensive. Of course, manager “expensive” is relative.

On Girardi, the primary non-speculative connection between Girardi and the Cubs has come from Dan Bernstein. And even that, you’ll remember, was only that there is mutual interest in talking. Patrick Mooney has also said that Girardi/Cubs isn’t just about dot-connecting (implying there’s something there). Beyond that, though, there isn’t much explicitly going on. I suppose I’m preaching caution to those of you who are all “Girardi or bust.” Even if that’s the right way to be – seems like it’s way too early to think that way, but to each his own – it might not work out, because there might not be much there.

Jon Heyman wonders, as Peter Gammons did, whether Brad Ausmus might be a good fit for the Cubs, given a variety of connections to the front office. We’ve heard from other sources, however, that Ausmus is not a top candidate right now (which is an odd thing to even say, given that – as of this moment – Dale Sveum still has the job).

In addition to Sveum’s fate, we may also hear about a variety of coaching decisions today. Not all of the coaches are under contract for next year, so some may simply be informed that they will not be brought back. Others may become the subject of negotiations, while others still may simply be retained as already under contract. Pitching coach Chris Bosio and outfield/first base coach Dave McKay are good bets to be retained.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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