Cubs fire manager Rick Renteria

Chicago Cubs manager Rick Renteria's short tenure came to a sympathetic end Friday as the team announced his firing. 

The Cubs have been linked to former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon since his decision to opt out of his contract last week, and Renteria's dismissal appears to have opened the door for the two-time American League manager of the Year to step in.

Cubs president Theo Epstein praised Renteria after the conclusion of the season for his work with the Cubs' younger players, saying he'd be back for the 2015 season. 

However, that was before Maddon became available. 

"Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon - who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us - had become a free agent ..." Epstein said in a statement.

"We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe." 

While the Cubs have yet to make an announcement appointing Maddon as the 54th manager in franchise history, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that a press conference is expected Monday. 

In his first and only season as a big-league manager, the 52-year-old Renteria amassed a 73-89 record - the Cubs' best mark in four seasons. 

Epstein noted that Renteria deserved a better fate, and offered him a choice of other positions within the organization. He has yet to make a decision.