Cubs Rick Renteria Looks One-and-Done

Rick Renteria had the Cubs front office's support after wrapping up his first season as manager

It looks like Rick Renteria is one-and-done as the ill-fated manager of the Cubs is concerned.  Theo Epstein just finished his third year as President of Baseball Operations, and more pointedly the third year of a five-year overhaul of the long-suffering, hapless team.  I was hoping the Cubs would finish close to a .500 record, but 73-89 ain't too bad.  Some talented youngsters came up, and caught drew a bit of my attention away from football and the Bears.

Make no mistake, this will not be easy on the Cubs front office. Replacing a man they’ve stated publicly is coming back and by most accounts did a decent job in his first year isn’t the most ethical thing to do -- even if it’s the right thing. Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer can look at themselves in the mirror and sleep at night believing two things: It makes them better to have Maddon in the organization and whatever “pain” they inflict on Renteria is nowhere near the pain they’ve inflicted on Cubs fans since taking over the the team -- let alone the 106 years of pain the city has felt. And Renteria will get paid not to manage. Many of us would take that same “pain” and deal with it appropriately. Renteria will be disappointed but will show class in the face of adversity -- if it happens. Again, that’s no sure thing.

Reference: Baseball executive on potential Maddon hiring: 'There is no script for this'.

Still I very much agree with what ESPN writer Jesse Rogers says here.  It's a rightful business choice, no doubt, to go with the more celebrated, accomplished manager Joe Maddon, but it would be a choice over ethics.  Maybe Epstein already had the Maddon in mind, when he gushed that the Cubs would contend for the pennant next year.  Sounds exciting, but let's see.

I have to think, though, that anytime a manager or head coach gets an unexpected show of support from the front office, he must not be so gullible as to believe it wholeheartedly.  Indeed for Renteria, the operative word in the caption above is had.