Cubs, Maddon part ways after 5 seasons: 'It's just time'

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein announced on Sunday that Joe Maddon won't return as the team's manager in 2020, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

Maddon, whose contract expires following Sunday's season finale, made the announcement alongside Epstein during a press conference at Busch Stadium. The two men came to an agreement during a meeting at the team's St. Louis hotel on Saturday night.

"It's just time. That happens," Maddon said, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "We're both gonna move on, (the) Cubs are gonna flourish. Hopefully I get a chance to do this somewhere else. But there's no tears shed. It's a good moment for everybody, and we're both excited about our futures."

Epstein heaped plenty of praise on Maddon, who he characterized as "a wonderful partner ... (and) a lifelong friend."

"We both agreed that this type of change is, that it's time, and this type of change is a win-win," Epstein added. "It's gonna be great for Joe. ... And it's gonna be good for the Cubs, too. I think we're at a point where we just need a little bit of change, something new, and that's natural."

Maddon etched his name in baseball and Chicago lore during his run at Wrigley Field. Hired away from the Tampa Bay Rays before the 2015 season, he immediately led the Cubs to that year's NLCS. The following campaign, Chicago won 103 games en route to the club's first pennant since 1945 and a World Series title, ending the franchise's infamous 108-year championship drought.

But the Cubs stumbled during the final two years of Maddon's tenure. After dropping both an NL Central tiebreaker and the wild-card game on home turf last year, a collapse this September ensured the team would miss the playoffs for the first time under Maddon's watch.

He leaves the Cubs after compiling a 471-338 record with the team (as of Saturday). His four consecutive playoff berths are a franchise record.

The 65-year-old is available to hire and has a remarkable resume after leading his teams to 90-plus wins nine times over 14 seasons. He guided both the Rays and Cubs - teams with deep losing histories prior to his arrival - to World Series appearances.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Angels - a team that Maddon coached for a long time, and he became interim manager - were reported to be interested in hiring him to replace Brad Ausmus (who has yet to be fired). The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were also said to be interested if he hit the market.

Epstein expressed full confidence that Maddon won't be out of work for long.

"He won't talk about this right now but I will: There's gonna be a bidding war for his services, and there should be," the executive said.