It didn’t come with the earlier coaching change announcement, but multiple reports say the Chicago Cubs have found a new pitching coach:
Source: #Cubs are closing in on a deal that will make Jim Hickey their new pitching coach as part of the broader staff shakeup.
— Patrick Mooney (@MooneyNBCS) October 26, 2017
It’s official, former #Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey is going to #Cubs
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) October 26, 2017
Jim Hickey and the Tampa Bay Rays parted ways at the end of the season, and then the sought after free agent went on a round of interviews that included stops with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox pitching coach position is still open, while the Cardinals are expected to settle on Mike Maddux, who is a pretty well-respected pitching coach in his own right. Hickey replaces Chris Bosio, who spent six successful years serving under Dale Sveum, Ricky Renteria, and Joe Maddon before the Cubs declined to pick up his 2018 option.
Hickey was Maddon’s long-time pitching coach in Tampa Bay. With the move, the Cubs completed a whirlwind day of coaching changes – which you can read about here.
Hickey has done incredible work in Tampa Bay if you go by the track record, and we’ll have more on him as soon as the Cubs make things officially official.
Meanwhile, it sounds like the Cubs’ outgoing pitching coach did not take long to find a new gig, which is not a surprise:
Tigers close to announcing hiring of Bosio for their pitching coach vacancy
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) October 26, 2017