Cubs Part Ways With Maddon; Pirates Make Hurdle Walk Plank

Two NL Central teams let go of their managers on the final day of the regular season. The Chicago Cubs parted ways with Joe Maddon after five seasons while the Pittsburgh Pirates made Clint Hurdle walk the plank after steering their ship since 2011.

Three years removed from winning the World Series, 2019 was a season of reckoning for the Cubs after losing to the Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS and losing last year's NL Wild Card game to the Rockies. Nothing short of another World Series title would have saved Maddon's job.

On September 16th, the Cubs had won five in a row and were on pace to face the Washington Nationals in the NL Wild Card game. The Cubs then lost 9 games in a row. During this time, the Brewers won 8 of 9 games. This collapse sealed Maddon's fate. It is widely believed the Cubs will hire former Yankees manager Joe Girardi as his successor.

But Maddon will have a third act. There are managerial vacancies with the Padres, Giants, Royals and now the Pirates. There's a good chance one of those teams will jump at the chance to work with him.

The same cannot be said for Hurdle. Although Hurdle guided the Bucs to three consecutive NL Wild Card berths, they have not been a factor since 2015. At the All-Star Break, the Pirates were 44-45 only half a game behind the Cardinals. While the Cardinals surged to the NL Central title, the Pirates went 25-47 before Hurdle's dismissal. Complicating matters were several brawls between players and coaching staff and the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez for alleged sexual assault of a child. This created the perception that Hurdle had lost control of the club. With two years remaining on his contract, Hurdle was given assurances by Pirates owner Bob Nutting that he would remain. But Nutting made an about face and terminated Hurdle late last night. However, GM Neal Huntington remains on the job. It is widely believed former Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister has the inside track as Hurdle's successor. Prior to managing the Rangers, Banister had spent 29 years in the Bucs organization before rejoining it this year as a special assistant.

There could be other teams which change managers. The NL East could have a very different dynamic as both New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway and Philadelphia Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler have uncertain futures.