NEWSLETTER
The coaching staff in Tampa Bay has been told that the management there does not intend to make any changes, and, since all of the coaches are under contract for 2015, the reasonable presumption is that none of Joe Maddon’s coaches would be coming with him to Chicago. (Given the tampering allegations, it might be wise not to take any coaches anyway.)
But the Rays don’t have a new manager yet, and, if they bring in someone from the outside who wants to make a few changes, there could be some coaches involuntarily made available. To that point, Marc Topkin writes that the one guy who actually could wind up with the Cubs is bench coach Dave Martinez. Being that Martinez has been Maddon’s right-hand man for the past six seasons, he may well be the guy you’d most want to see Maddon able to bring over in some capacity. But, for that very same reason, you’d think the Rays would be most loathe to lose him.
Indeed, it’s been my expectation all along that Martinez would eventually be named Maddon’s successor. Martinez has been an intriguing managerial candidate around baseball for years now (the Cubs considered him just last year for their managerial opening), and seems like the logical fit in Tampa Bay.
If, however, Martinez doesn’t get the job, Topkin says Martinez may choose to opt out of his contract (apparently he can do that), at which point he would be a free agent (no tampering!). From there, perhaps he does wind up coming to the Cubs under Maddon. For that reason, maybe the Cubs’ forthcoming coaching decisions may take a little bit of time as they await the shakeout there in Tampa Bay.
As for the Cubs’ current bench coach, Brandon Hyde, this might wind up another one of those awkward situations. You want to give Maddon the ability to surround himself with the guys he feels can help him do the best job – he’s getting the big contract for a reason – but Hyde is a quality voice in the organization, and you’d rather not lose him altogether. Hopefully this, like the managerial situation that preceded it, can be handled delicately. It is obviously a little different, though, as coaches are more frequently shuffled – to another coaching role, to a front office role, etc. – than managers.
