ST. LOUIS — Chances are, when Joe Maddon and Theo Epstein meet after Saturday evening’s Cubs-Cardinals contest at Busch Stadium, they won’t split an Imo’s pizza, and a couple orders of toasted ravioli probably isn’t likely, either. Maybe a couple of ice-cold Budweisers would be appropriate, though, considering the agenda for the get-together.
There is something symbolic about the most fateful meeting of Maddon’s tenure as the Cubs’ manager happening in St. Louis. When he was a young lad growing up in rural Pennsylvania, he became a Cardinals fan, listening to the games on KMOX’s powerful signal.
And it’s here, where Jack Buck became a broadcasting legend and broadcasting legend Harry Caray found his voice, that Maddon will learn his fate. The Cubs opted against extending Maddon's contract after the 2018 season, despite the fact the franchise had made the playoffs in each of the deal's first four years, had reached the NLCS three times and had won the 2016 World Series, the first one for the franchise since 1908.
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"I mean, three trips into the CS," Maddon said pregame Friday. "If you would have been guaranteed that in '14 going into '15 when we walked in the door, how would you feel about that? As a fan of the Cubs, how would you feel about that?"
He continued, in typical Maddon fashion: "The mind, when stretched, has a difficult time going back to its original form. We've stretched the minds a bit, so now, fans are expecting more. Groovy, man. Go and expect it all."
But Epstein wanted to see how the 2019 season would play out before committing to Maddon, and, well, 2019 wasn’t great. Injuries and inconsistency and a down-the-stretch collapse all conspired to keep the Cubs out of the postseason for the first time in Maddon’s tenure.
And so Maddon and Epstein will have a meeting somewhere in St. Louis to discuss the future. Maddon informed reporters of the meeting during his pregame interview session Saturday and Epstein confirmed it shortly after.
"We'll discuss everything moving forward, that kind of stuff," Maddon said. "We haven't had any kind of a talk about any of this. I mean that sincerely. We will tonight."
Maddon was asked if he thought there would be a resolution. "I hope so, yeah," he said. "I'd like to believe so, yes." Then he was asked if that resolution might be announced before Sunday’s game: "I have no idea," he replied.
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What he does know, at least, is what he plans to do when he leaves St. Louis, whether that’s before the game Sunday or after.
"Right now, you know what I'm excited about?" Maddon said before Friday’s series opener. "I'm going to get in that car and drive to our pad in Hazelton (Pa.), which is on this really cool little golf course, the Valley Country Club. My buddy Frankie's the golf pro, And I do need some work, so he'll be there to straighten my stuff out. My mom's right down the street, so is my sister. Of course, (Maddon's wife) Jaye's going to be there. My buddy Willie’s going to stop by. I mean, come on, what's better than that?"
And if he is let go, as seems inevitable, he'll have plenty of options to choose from this offseason.
The Padres, Giants and Royals jobs are already open, and as many as five or six more managers could be let go at the end of the season.
