Joe Maddon says Cubs will be ‘talking playoffs next year’
One of the reporters at the Monday afternoon press conference introducing Joe Maddon as the new Chicago Cubs manager asked him, “Do you have any idea what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into?”
It was Chicago radio/TV guy David Kaplan, citing the Cubs’ 106-year World Series drought. And that’s just part of what Maddon faces in his new gig. By leaving Tampa for Chicago, he now has both big-market and big-money expectations. When you’re the conductor of baseball’s version of The Little Engine That Could, the expectations are significantly lower than when you get a five-year, $25 million contract to revive The Famous Franchise That Couldn’t.
Maddon, though, didn’t flinch in his response.
“I love it,” he said. “The challenge is so outstanding, how could you not want to be in this seat?
“This is a once in 107-year opportunity.”
The Cubs have a deep pool of young talent, from Jorge Soler and Javier Baez to slugger of the future Kris Bryant, plus enough money to be a factor on the free-agent market this offseason. Their front office is convinced that Maddon is the man to “lead this group of players now and for the long term,” as team president Theo Epstein put it.
But these new Cubs — the ones who lost 89 games last year, and 96, 101 and 91 the three years before — aren’t looking at an above-.500 record and a playoff appearance as a goal that’s years ahead of them.
Maddon started to answer another question talking about “patience” as his programs get implemented, but he stopped himself and let loose a sunny beam of optimism.
“I’m going to be talking playoffs next year,” Maddon said. “I can’t go to spring training and say any other thing. Why would you even report?”
Making the playoffs is easier said than done, of course, particularly in the NL Central, where the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates both made the postseason in 2014. The Milwaukee Brewers, meanwhile, led the division most of the season, and the Cincinnati Reds were injured underachievers. In the other words: The Cubs’ road out of the basement isn’t the easiest one.
“It’s all about setting your standards and your goals high,” Maddon said. “I’m going to talk playoffs and I’m going to talk World Series this year. I promise you, I am. And I’m going to believe it.”
He had just finished talking about how he turned the 2008 Rays into a World Series team after a 66-96 record the previous year. Those Rays won 31 more games, partially because Maddon asked different sections of the team to just focus on getting an additional nine wins.
Maddon then told the Chicago media about his “nine equals eight” philosophy that season. In fact, there was a lot of philosophy talk with Maddon. His rattled off phrases such as, “Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.” He’s one of those if-you-can-believe-it-you-make-it-happen guys. As such, he talked about visualizing the Cubs in the playoffs next season.
“In my mind’s eye,” Maddon said. “We’re going to make the playoffs next year.”
For $25 million over five years, though, Cubs fans won’t settle for his mind’s eye. They’ll want to see the real thing on the field, right in front of their own eyes.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
