Joe Maddon addresses his job status with Cubs |
CINCINNATI — "It's about interactions."
That's what Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon chalked up his job security as boiling down to when asked if he expected to return next season in a press conference at Great American Ball Park on Sunday. The response, which came before the Cubs' contest against the Cincinnati Reds, served as the first time all summer that Maddon has addressed his future with the Cubs, and he made it clear that he plans on returning in 2020, assuming that the Cubs are willing to bring him back. Maddon, who is 65 years old, told the press that he believes that he can manage until he is 70 and stated that he is "optimistic" that he will return as the Cubs' skipper after his contract expires this fall. An interesting tidbit from Maddon's press conference was that he scoffed at the idea that the Cubs' 2019 record would be the primary determining factor behind whether or not the Cubs offer Maddon a new contract following the 2019 season. "I really don’t think it does at all," Maddon said about his win-loss record impacting his job status with the Cubs. "It has nothing to do with wins and losses. If that’s the case, I would have signed a contract at the end of last season." Maddon and Cubs management mutually agreed not to engage in contract-extension talks after the 2018 season. That led to speculation that ranged from Maddon intending to coach out his contract and then retire to Cubs management needing to see improvement from the Cubs in 2019 in order to carry forward with Maddon at the helm. However, Maddon claimed that he would have already inked a new deal with the Cubs if the team's record had anything to do with it. Instead, Maddon listed "interactions" as the most important variable and insisted that he is very confident that he will be back with the Cubs in 2020.
