UNITED STATES—The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates announced their current managers would not be returning in 2020.
Joe Maddon, 65, began managing the Cubs in 2015, where he led them to the NLCS and was named the 2015 National League Manager of the Year. Maddon’s biggest achievement with the Cubs came in 2016 when he helped the team win their first World Series title since 1908. Despite Maddon’s contribution, the organization and Maddon appear to be in mutual agreeance to go their separate ways after a lackadaisical performance in the 2018 Wild Card game and a flop September finish to their 2019 season.
Maddon’s time as a manager over the last 16 years resulted in a record of 1252-1067. He managed the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays who won the American League Pennant. This season concluded Maddon’s contract with the Cubs. It is unknown what direction the Cubs will go in their search for their new manager. As for Maddon, he is interested in managing in the next season.
Pittsburgh followed Chicago’s lead and relieved Clint Hurdle, 62, of his managerial duties. The Pirates Twitter account posted a press release with a statement by Pirates Executive Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington that read:
“Words cannot express how much respect and appreciation I have for Clint as a person and a leader. He was the right person at the right time to take on the enormous challenge of leading our Major League team out of an extended losing streak and piloting us to three straight Postseason appearances. We will be forever grateful for his dedication to the Pirates organization on and off the field. This was an extremely difficult decision for us. As an organization we believe it was time for a managerial change to introduce a new voice and new leadership inside the clubhouse. This has been a challenging season on many levels. We are committed to assessing and improving upon our operations at all levels in order to return Postseason baseball to Pittsburgh.”
Hurdle became the Pirates manager in November 2010, where he posted a 735-720-1 record during his nine seasons with the team.