When Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 23, the Chicago Cubs pounced almost immediately and ultimately fired Rick Renteria and signed Maddon to become their new manager.
Even as Chicago’s pursuit of the 60-year-old manager was ongoing, there were rumblings that the Rays felt the Cubs had tampered with Maddon while he was still under contract in Tampa Bay. On Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Postreported that those allegations were deemed serious enough by Major League Baseball that they have opened an inquiry into tampering charges against the Cubs.
Here is what Sherman had to say about the situation:
“If it is proven the Cubs tampered, they may have to give the Rays some form of compensation, such as a player, draft picks, and/or money. It is also possible – especially if any Cubs official lied to MLB investigators – there could be suspensions. The same wing that investigated Alex Rodriguez in the Biogenesis matter is looking into these tampering allegations.”
The Cubs aren’t the first team in recent years to be accused of tampering. Back in 2001, Mo Vaughn was investigated for tampering after saying that he would be interested in rejoining the Boston Red Sox. He was under contract with the Anaheim Angels at the time, but nothing ended up coming of the investigation. In 2011, noted baseball writer Peter Gammons accused the New York Yankees and several other clubs of tampering while trying to get pitcher Andrew Miller, who was under contract with the Red Sox, to opt out of his contract.
According to Maddon’s agent Alan Nero, claims that the Cubs tampered in this situation are “really sad” and “a little bit insulting.” Nero and the Cubs have said all along that the first time there was contact between the two sides came in the hours after it was revealed that Maddon had opted out of his contract. The Cubs reportedly sent an email to MLB to confirm that Maddon had actually opted out of the contract before they began to inquire about his services.
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, Cubs President Theo Epstein went a step further, saying that if formal tampering charges were filed that the team “would aggressively respond” to any inquiry.
