Bill Mueller resigns as Cubs hitting coach

The Chicago Cubs have a vacancy to fill on their coaching staff after hitting instructor Bill Mueller resigned Tuesday, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

Mueller, who took over as hitting coach prior to the 2014 campaign, opted to resign after the club decided not to retain assistant hitting coach Mike Brumley.

"Everything was in place," Mueller said. "(Cubs President) Theo Epstein made it very enticing for me. They took care of Mike.

"Unfortunately, it was for only one year."

Epstein was grateful that Mueller made his decision rather promptly after Brumley was informed he would not be back with the organization next season.

“I want to thank Bill for all his hard work this year and his contributions and respect his decision and how he went about it," Epstein said Tuesday after watching the Cubs' prospects play against Glendale in an Arizona Fall League game at Camelback Ranch. "He gave us a heads-up, so we weren’t caught by surprise and could play it forward a bit. I have nothing but respect for him and our relationship is still good."