Well, here’s your first rumor – in a sea of them – that directly connects the Chicago Cubs to actually wanting to pursue now free agent manager Joe Maddon (as opposed to educated guesses that they might marry up):
#Cubs plan to talk to Maddon. Could still try to retain Renteria in some capacity, if it works.
— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) October 24, 2014
For the most part, I think folks landed on the “you have to at least see what’s what” side of things, and that sounds like what the Cubs are doing. Sure, it’s awkward and delicate, but this situation isn’t exactly common.
I’d be very surprised if the Cubs figured out how to hire Maddon and still keep Renteria in the fold in a way that doesn’t completely marginalize him (such that you would never do that to a person for two years, even if you have them under contract), but, hey, I’ve been surprised before when it comes to what this front office is able to pull off.
I’m headed to a wedding, though I’ll try to keep checking in throughout the evening. Funny story: three years ago, I was at a wedding when Joel Sherman first reported that Theo Epstein was a legitimate possibility for the Cubs (which was a huge shock at the time).