The Chicago Cubs are having an offseason that can only be described as full of turbulence. It turns out the entire 2019 season could make the offseason look like nothing at all. While the Cubs are looking to replace not one, but two of their coaches, there has been quite a bit of talk about whether or not they are going to replace their manager after next season. This comes because Theo Epstein announced that the club is not going to be looking to talk extension with Joe Maddon until after next season.
Now it looks like at least part of the waiting game could be because they want to see if Joe Girardi would be interested in the job. At the very least, it appears Girardi is waiting to see if the team has an opening.
Joe Girardi turned down jobs to wait until next year
As Bleacher Nation points out, there have been as many as six openings in Major League Baseball this year. The former Yankees manager has filled none of them. While it's a safe bet that he wasn't offered all of those jobs, we know that he was offered, or at least courted by the Cincinnati Reds. Girardi recently explained that one of the reasons he didn't pull the trigger on working for the Reds is because he wants to wait until he sees what's open in 2019.
It's hard to think Joe Girardi knows there are going to be better jobs out there than what was available this year. While he's talking a good game when it comes to waiting, it's not that hard to read behind the lines. The entire baseball world knows that the Chicago Cubs didn't extend Joe Maddon. It certainly seems like he thinks the team is going to be looking for a new manager. Even more interesting is that it looks as though he's pretty interested in that job.
Chicago Cubs could be staring more turnover in the face
The 2018 offseason has certainly been an interesting one. The question now is whether the upheaval is really over. The team is coming off a 95-win season in which it got rid of its pitching and hitting coaches.
It also refused to sign its manager to an extension. Keeping that in mind, it's hard to imagine what Maddon has to do next season in order to make sure he keeps his job. Joe Girardi saying he wants to see what's open in the fall of 2019 sounds like the former Yankees head man is sort of hoping Theo Epstein will shove the club's current manager out the door. There is actually a pretty long way to the 2019 season. Is it possible Maddon will decide he'd rather pull the ripcord now? It seems like anything is possible with the Chicago Cubs this winter.