Chicago Cubs Fire Manager Rick Renteria
Published at(CHICAGO, Ill) — After one season of work, the Cubs have fired manager Rick Renteria.
Friday, Team President Theo Epstein released a statement praising Renteria’s efforts in 2014.
Epstein’s statement added that the opportunity to add Joe Maddon as manager of the team was too good to pass up.
“Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon – who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us – had become a free agent,” Epstein explained. ” We confirmed the news with Major League Baseball, and it became public knowledge the next day.
“We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe.”
Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays last week. The contract with Maddon has not yet been finalized. The Cubs offered Renteria a chance to stay with the organization but he declined.
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