Terrmel Sledge out as Cubs spin hitting coach carousel again originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
A Cubs coaching staff that remains in flux three weeks after the season ended underwent its first change Friday when the Cubs told assistant hitting coach Terrmel Sledge his contract would not be renewed for 2021, sources confirmed.
It’s unclear whether more changes are coming as exit interviews with staff were said to be ongoing as the business week came to a close, but it appears hitting coach Anthony Iapoce will return for a third season.
Sledge is the 10th hitting coach or assistant hitting coach fired by the Cubs since the current front office took over baseball operations before the 2012 season. Iapoce would match John Mallee (2015-17) for the longest tenure of any lead or assistant hitting coach in that span if he stays through next season.
A Cubs lineup core that team president Theo Epstein said "broke" over the second half of 2018 and into the postseason has remained largely intact with little to no improvement in production as five hitting coaches and assistants have cycled through the staff in that span.
Key members of that hitting core are expected to finally be moved this winter.
Sledge, 43, was the assistant the past two seasons, replacing Andy Haines, who was hired as the Brewers top big-league hitting coach after the 2018 season.
The Sledge move does not appear to be related to cost-cutting measures that have resulted in more than 100 layoffs across the Cubs organization this year.
The assistant hitting coach position, which was officially added to major-league staffs eight years ago, is expected to be filled by the team this winter, possibly by an internal candidate.
The Cubs might have multiple coaching spots to fill, considering well regarded third-base coach Will Venable is a candidate for managerial jobs in Boston and Detroit.
The Athletic was first to report the Sledge move.
