Epstein: Maddon almost became Red Sox manager in 2003

Another connection between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians has been revealed, and it involves three of the most prominent minds in baseball.

In 2003, when Theo Epstein was general manager of the Boston Red Sox and looking to hire a new bench boss to replace Grady Little, he interviewed a guy by the name of Joe Maddon, who previously worked as a bench coach with the Anaheim Angels. The decision came down to Maddon and Terry Francona, with the latter getting the job due to his previous experience managing the Philadelphia Phillies.

"In the end, we loved (Joe), but we thought taking over a veteran team in a big market, there would have been some risk involved because he’s so unique," Epstein, now the Cubs president of baseball operations, told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

"I think it worked out best for both sides."

Indeed it has. In Francona's first season as manager with the Red Sox, he led the team to their first World Series in 86 years, breaking the dreaded "Curse of the Bambino," before adding another championship in 2007.

Maddon, on the other hand, was hired as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006, and in nine years with the low-budget Rays, led the team to a World Series appearance in 2008 and a franchise record 754 wins. As fate would have it, Epstein connected with Maddon before the 2015 season looking to break another long and painful championship drought. This time, Epstein knew Maddon was the guy.

"His humor, his language, the way his mind works, his mode of transportation," Esptein said. "Everything about him is different than everything you’d expect from a managerial candidate."