Maddon anticipates return to Cubs in ’20
In the final season of his five-year contract, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said he expects to be with the Cubs “for a couple more years.”
Maddon, 65, addressed his future with ESPN before Sunday’s game in Cincinnati.
“I’m operating like we’ll be together for a couple more years at least,” he said. “I’m not going to sit and proclaim I’m looking to go elsewhere. That’s not true.”
Maddon guided the Cubs to at least 92 wins in each of his first four seasons, highlighted by a 103-58 record and the franchise’s first World Series championship since 1908 in 2016.
Chicago entered Sunday with a 11/2-game lead in the National League Central, but Maddon said whether the team chooses to bring him back in 2020 “has nothing to do with wins and losses.
“It’s about interactions,” he said. “It’s about communication. It’s about the ability to work together. That’s what it comes down to.”
Maddon has said he wants to manage until he is at least 70.
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer wasn’t concerned with how he’d feel throwing the bullpen session, it was everything that came after. On Saturday at Citi Field, the veteran right-hander threw off a mound for the first time since hitting the injured list in late July with a mild rhomboid strain.
On Sunday, he woke up, threw again and “felt really good,” manager Dave Martinez said.
The Nationals are being cautious with Scherzer and want to evaluate how he feels Monday morning before they take the next step in their ace’s recovery. If Scherzer feels good on Monday, the Nationals want him to throw a simulated game on Tuesday at Nationals Park. With files from the Washington Post