Joe Maddon can finally put the past behind him.
The Chicago Cubs have been found not guilty of tampering with the former Tampa Bay Rays skipper after a lengthy investigation.
Major League Baseball issued the following statement Wednesday:
Major League Baseball has concluded its tampering investigation regarding Joe Maddon's departure from the Tampa Bay Rays and his subsequent hiring as manager of the Chicago Cubs. The investigation produced no findings of a violation of Major League Rule 3(k) on Tampering.
Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays following the departure of general manager Andrew Friedman in October, and was then hired by the Cubs in November.
"We're all glad that's in the rear view mirror right now and very grateful it turned out the way that it did," Maddon told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. "Let's just move on and continue to play baseball. That's pretty much where I'm at."
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said the result was expected as he feels the organization did nothing wrong in their pursuit of Maddon.
"There was never any concern of any wrongdoing, so we did encourage a thorough process," Hoyer told reporters.
The Rays alleged Maddon opted out while already having knowledge the Cubs were interested in hiring him.
It took nearly six months for new commissioner Rob Manfred's office to conduct the investigation.
