After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs have started to make some changes. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cubs have dismissed pitching coach Chris Bosio after six seasons. However, the team would not confirm the move. Earlier, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was disappointed with the high walk rate by the Chicago relievers, calling it “unacceptable.” Last season, the Cubs' starters led the NL in ERA (2.96) in 2016 while they dropped to seventh in 2017 with a 3.95 ERA.

The Cubs pitchers also struggled in the playoffs, posting a 4.52 ERA, while the bullpen performed poorly with a 6.21 ERA in 37.2 innings.

Maddon could bring in ex-Rays pitching coach

When Joe Maddon took over as Cubs manager in 2015, he retained the 54-year-old Bosio, who helped Jake Arrieta win the National League Cy Young Award in 2015 while Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks finished second and third in the Cy Young voting last year, respectively. Maddon could bring in Jim Hickey, his former pitching coach during his Tampa Bay Rays stint, as a possible replacement to Bosio. Hickey worked as the Rays’ pitching coach from 2007 to 2017.

Earlier, Rays general manager Kevin Cash announced that Hickey will not return as pitching coach despite being signed until 2018.

The team named Triple-A Durham pitching coach Kyle Snyder as his replacement. During Hickey's 11-year stint with Tampa Bay, the Rays led the American League with 127 shutouts and held opponents to a .247 batting average.

Giants reassign pitching coach

After missing the playoffs with a dismal 64-98 record, the San Francisco Giants have reassigned pitching coach Dave Righetti as special assistant to general manager Bobby Evans.

Righetti, the longest-tenured pitching coach in Giants history and in the Major Leagues, occupied the position since 2000, helping the Giants win the World Series trophies in 2010, 2012 and 2014. The Giants also assigned bullpen coach Mark Gardner as a special assistant who will assist in pitching evaluations while assistant hitting coach Steve Decker will become a special assistant in the baseball operations department.

Explaining the move, Evans said there is a need for a new voice with the team’s pitching staff to help push the players to new heights. This season, the Giants ranked 16th in Major League Baseball with an ERA of 4.50. Last season, they finished fourth with a 3.65 ERA. They played a large chunk of the season without injured ace Madison Bumgarner, who tallied a 4-9 record and an ERA of 3.32 in 17 starts.
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