The Chicago Cubs front office has officially drawn a line in the sand. After what can only be described as a disappointing season, Theo Epstein has announced Joe Maddon and the Cubs brass will not be discussing an extension over the winter. Maddon's contract expires after the 2019 season, meaning the team is going to be forcing the World Series-winning manager to "sing for his supper." He's going to need to get the team to play better baseball in 2019 if he wants to get a new contract. The announcement is the latest development in what has already been an offseason where the Cubs don't appear to be one big happy family.

Joe Maddon news is latest sign tensions are high

Patrick Mooney was the first one to break the news that this upcoming season is going to be an interesting one. He made the announcement on his official Twitter account. Now we have to wait and see how things are going to shake out inside the organization. Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have made plenty of comments that hint at their deep unease at the way things finished up this season.

The Chicago Cubs looked like they were going to run away with the NL Central in August but then had massive offensive struggles down the stretch.

When those struggles continued in a one-game playoff for the division title and then in the Wild-card game loss, changes were obviously on the horizon. Shortly after the Cubs' season ended new hitting coach Chili Davis was fired. Davis was hand picked by Maddon after the 2017 season. He was actually picked before the Cubs had an opening, making for an interesting situation in the Windy City.

Cloudy Chicago Cubs 2019 season only gets cloudier

Joe Maddon having to manage for a new contract would be a difficult situation enough if the front office wasn't apparently handcuffing the manager with a roster that isn't going to have a ton of upgrades on offense. While the Cubs were once considered the front-runner to get Bryce Harper, that seems to have gone out the window.

In the last few days, conversations about how much money the team is going to be spending have landed squarely on "not that much" in the 2018 offseason.

As the Cubbies' Crib points out, the team doesn't need someone like Bryce Harper to have a good 2019. One has to think that they need an outfielder of that level if they want to have another World Series run. The lack of big spending on a free agent hitter is going to make Joe Maddon's job a bit more difficult at the very least. That underlines the strife that is going on in the Chicago Cubs organization after they missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
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