Chicago Cubs: Three concerns heading into the All-Star break

Concern #3: Rumors of Maddon’s firing won’t go away

Any time there’s a manager or coach that’s on their final year of a contract, rumors of firings swirl around the media. As the team struggled recently, rumors of a potential firing of manager Joe Maddon became louder and louder.

Not too long ago it seems crazy that the Cubs would even consider firing such a revered manager as Maddon. But there’ve been reports of a rift between the team’s front office and Maddon for a while now, and he continues to have to answer questions about the subject.

After Sunday’s loss to the White Sox, Maddon said he “Stays in his own lane” when it comes to his job performance and what his superiors think of him. Cubs exec Theo Epstein said he didn’t blame the team’s mediocre first half on Maddon.

Still, as long as the Cubs continue to hover near .500 and clutch to a razor-thin lead, the rumblings of Maddon’s potential firing will persist. Coming into this season, there was doubt Maddon would be back even if the team were to make a deep playoff run.

It certainly seems as if there is some truth to the rumors around the friction between Maddon and the front office, but it won’t matter as long as the Cubs win. My main concern is that if the Cubs keep struggling, players will keep having to answer questions about the rumors.

Maddon was always known as a player’s coach. There’s no doubt that the guys in the Cubs locker room are 100 percent behind Maddon and want him to stay. Hearing constant chatter about him on the hot seat isn’t going to help anything.