With the Chicago Cubs’ season wrapping up and the team likely missing the playoffs for the first time in five years, speculation continues to ramp up over who will be managing the club in the 2020 season.
Manager Joe Maddon is coming to the end of his five-year contract that he signed with the Cubs before the 2015 season, and while no official announcement has been made about his future, it seems unlikely that he will be retained by the organization next season.
If Maddon ends up leaving, there are several candidates’ names that have popped up, including a new one on Monday. In an interview with the Mully and Haugh Show on 670 the Score, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman said that Cubs bench coach Mark Loretta could be a leading candidate to replace Maddon.
“At this time it’s speculation, (but) I think Mark Loretta is the most likely candidate to be the Cubs’ manager,” Heyman said. “He did take a job there coaching, and everyone seems to respect him.”
Heyman also mentioned two other candidates that have gotten attention from other outlets as well, with MLB Network analyst and former Cubs infielder Mark DeRosa and former Cubs catcher and current ESPN broadcaster David Ross also getting mentions from the national reporter.
Cubs first base coach Will Venable has also been mentioned as a potential candidate by several outlets.
Chicago Baseball
If Loretta were to make the jump into the managerial job, he would be the third consecutive Cubs bench coach to be promoted to a managerial position, joining Dave Martinez, currently the manager of the Washington Nationals, and Brandon Hyde, the manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
After six consecutive losses, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs are just about eliminated from postseason contention, with an elimination number of three.
