1:33pm: The Cubs announced that Sveum will be their next manager. The sides agreed to a three-year deal that includes an option for 2015, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
12:12pm: The Cubs will hire Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum to be their next manager, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times hears that the Cubs may announce their next manager as soon as tomorrow (Twitter link) and suggests it will be Sveum. The Cubs offered the managerial job to Sveum yesterday.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein would not confirm that the team offered Sveum the position, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. However, Epstein said the process is in its final inning. “We’ve got to get the 27th out,” he said.
Chuck Norris 2
Good luck. Your going to need it.
rockfordone
If he has a brain in his head (which I doubt – he took the job) Big Z is gone
Redsoxn8tion
Good. Valentine is a way better choice for the Sox than Sveum.
Redsoxn8tion
Good. Valentine is a way better choice for the Sox than Sveum.
John Holt
I do not know much about the new manager but I am sure our management team does as they seem to really research their candidates. If they like him then I like him. He should be very familiar with the Cubs players as he is in our division. Glad he was hired before the December meetings where we could possible make some moves. He could offer some good input on NL players our current GM may not know about. Also glad he is a National League guy as he knows how to make the double switches, etc.
Joseph Golden
Curious
Mike Agogliati
Another swing and miss by the Redsox. God help us if the hire Alomar.
Redsoxn8tion
Swing
Redsoxn8tion
Swing
The_BiRDS
Miss.
B Mitchell White
Where is this guy’s Major League managing experience the Great Theo said was required?
sourbob
Are you talking about a different Theo?
Theo Epstein said he wanted a guy who had major league managing OR major league coaching experience.
Maybe you mean Theo Huxtable. I understand he and Cockroach were adamant the new manager for the Cubs should have previous MLB managing experience.
John Holt
Epstein did not say you had to be a major league manager.
Redsoxn8tion
If the Sox wanted Sveum, they would have hired him by now.
Jim Wright
If I were Sveum, I’d hold out to see if there is an offer from Boston. Good for him getting his shot, but I wouldn’t want that stinker of a job in Chicago.
Tyler 17
And you dont think the job in Boston isnt just as ripe? haha
RedSx799
yes but be honest, who do you think will win more games in 2012? Even the most hateful of Boston haters has to know the Sox are closer to winning it all than the Cubbies are.
Tyler 17
Who’s talking about winning it all? My Cubs are in a rebuilding mode and we all know your Red Sox cant stay afloat in September.
start_wearing_purple
And some how it still feels better to be a Sox fan.
Tyler 17
Does it? Well that’s good to know there are die-hard fans out there like us Cub fans.
East Coast Bias
I find that hard to believe. Yes, your future may be brighter generally speaking, but let’s look at recent events.
Boston getting shanked out of the playoff by the Rays, losing Francona, losing Theo, popeyegate, and losing out on their top choice as manager… While the Cubs have gotten rid of Hendry and Quade, and added Theo, Hoyer, and now Sveum.
Right now, Cubs fans have to be on the ultimate high.
0bsessions
That is a matter of perspective, not who’s actually better off.
The Red Sox situation is like a millionaire watching an investment turn sour. That sure stinks for him, but he’ll probably be okay.
The Cubs situation is more akin to a guy who’s been on unemployment for three years finally getting a job. Things are looking up, but there’s still a reasonable amount of uncertainty toward the future.
Sure, the latter has seen a marked improvement in his quality of life, but I doubt there are many people here who would rather be in his situation than the millionaire’s.
crashcameron
Cubs are like a newly rich guy who got knocked on the head while getting mugged (and had his baseball stolen) and has been stumbling around ever since, madly spending money with undiagnosed brain damage
RedSx799
and the Red Sox are like Donald Trump, spending money on bad investments and staining the New York (Boston) skyline (sports scene)
mmontice
Its about relative expectations.
The Cubs could win 75-80 games and the fanbase would be very pleased.
The Red Sox could win 90 games but if they don’t make the playoffs (or even win the world series), the entire year will be considered a failure.
Funkhouser Jr.
As a Cubs fan, based on where this club/organization is at, I would be pleased with 75-80 wins in 2012. Long term, that’s not a respectable goal for any team.
jayrig5
Yeah, win 90 games and get ripped or win 80 and be praised…tough to tell what the better job is.
nycub
The Cubs job is an attractive job. They’re clearly rebuilding and it presents itself as the ultimate challenge. Obviously I am biased, but it really is an exciting job to have…if not the most exciting job to have right now.
0bsessions
I see it more as a worrisome job. He’s set up to basically be the scapegoat if they don’t turn it around by 2014, which is going to be very tough to do.
onemanwolfpack
we haven’t won in 102 years. if he doesn’t win then he’s just thrown in the boat with everyone else who hasn’t but please lets not talk about goats!
crashcameron
I never thought of the obvious!! scapegoat does have a whole new meaning with the Cubs.
does this make Bartman an Escapegoat?
onemanwolfpack
good call crash! hahaha
John Holt
Sounds like you may be a Boston fan.
nycub
Poor Boston. We took their GM and now we took their top managerial candidate. Oh wellz!
Russ Desrosiers
Thanks, you did us 2 favors !!!
Redsoxn8tion
We’ll be fine without Theo. Now he can overspend your money. Sveum is no concern either. He’s clearly not the best candidate for Boston
baseball52
Someone has sour grapes.
0bsessions
Maybe it’s sour grapes, but I’m hard pressed to be too concerned considering the Sox never actually made him an offer. If they’d made him an offer and the Cubs still got him, that might be of concern and something to brag about, but if the Sox were so enamored in him, why didn’t they offer him a contract? There was plenty of news out there about the Cubs offering him the job, yet instead of contacting him and making an offer themselves, the Sox instead opted to continue interviewing other candidates.
Bini
And develop the Cubs fleeting farm system.
Btw, when are Boston fans going to stop sounding like bitter ex-girlfriends about Theo?
Roy Munson
Didn’t he manage the brewers for like the last week of the season in 08?
Tyler 17
Yeah. 12-7 to finish out 2008 and went 1-3 in the Post-Season
RedSx799
best of luck. The Sox will just get Bobby V! 😛
addendum: the Red Sox will leak a story that Dale Sveum was hit on the head by a metal bat and is now incompetent
Jay
Who
GoFish
“We’ve got to get the 27th out.”
Something his Red Sox couldn’t do time and time again in September.
Tyler 17
But they could sure close out a bucket of chicken and a 12 pack. haha
Guest 6072
Despite being a Sox fan, I liked ur comment. its sad but oh so true
101andcounting
Just want to say, yours is my favorite username on all of MLBTR. Cheers!
The_BiRDS
Too bad there isnt a “flirt” button huh?
NomarGarciaparra
particularly and most importantly in game 162
stewie75
at the end of the day, it’s more about the players than the manager. If Theo and Co can outfit him with players and the young ones we have can take steps forward then there’s no reason to believe Sveum can’t succeed. He’ll go as Theo goes, and so far we’re all-in on this, so let’s let the process play itself out now.
EARL S
Let’s face it, this poor guy will be here until THEO gets a decent team together and unless he has an outstanding record with the poor slobs he starts with:::HE WILL BE GONE!!!!!
baseball52
Why hire someone then? Why not stick with Quade if he’s just going to be fired? You logic seems to be lacking.
0bsessions
Because sticking with the same guy doesn’t really reflect an attempted change in organizational direction.
There’s good reason to assume Sveum won’t be around by the time the Cubs actually compete.
baseball52
I still don’t buy that. If they want to be successful they need to have consistency. Bringing in someone to be a gatekeeper doesn’t really perpetuate that.
0bsessions
Terry Francona was in his first season with the Red Sox when he won the World Series the first time. Ozzie Guillen was only in his second year with the White Sox.
If consistency is that important, why not keep Quade?
The Cubs have virtually nothing on their MLB roster outside of Castro and Garza and very little at the top levels of the minors. They are effectively going into full fledged rebuild mode, meaning very few players that will contribute to a contending Cubs team will likely come up while Sveum is under contract.
Whoever the Cubs hire right now is very likely doomed from the start. Heck, plenty of Cubs fans acknowledged this weeks ago when talk of Ryne Sanberg came about.
baseball52
I see this as a Joe Maddon type hire where they’re going to stick with him through the long haul and let him develop his own niche and system on the MLB level.
Chris
Good hire! I’ve heard nothing but good things about this guy. I wanted Ryno but after hearing about Sveum I wanted him to be our manager. Good management we have.
Pres. of BBall operations- Theo Epstein
GM- Jed Hoyer
Assistant GM- Randy Bush
Manager- Dale Sveum
Now, we need to get rid of Big Z or Soriano (Hopefully both). Sign one or two of Pujols, Fielder, C.J. Wilson, Buehrle, ect.
Hopefully all works out in the end
JohnOrpheus
Just a gut feeling, but I bet they do go after Pujols and they come with a big offer, even though it would be a bad baseball decision in the long run.
The_BiRDS
Might want to stop going with your gut feelings.
Justin J. Bartz
I had a “gut feeling” like you have but it turns out I just had to poop.
Maybe try that and you’ll feel better? Hopefully your gut feelings don’t guide your predictions.
Ricardo Elorza
He was going to sign with the Red Sox, but then he saw the first draft of his post-firing smear campaign in John Henry’s desk.
Mikey Roederer
I love how everyone is trashing Theo now that he left Boston…The man built the team that won the world series and developed the program into a perennial favorite, but now that he left? He just spends too much money..lol..Now I know the sports world has very short memories, but this is beyond absurd.
I for one am excited about the manager move, and the FO moves by Theo so far, even when he rejected Sandberg he did it better than most would have. This is the first time in a long time I’ve been excited to be a Cubs fan…even though we are rebuilding, I still can’t wait for April!!
start_wearing_purple
Welcome to the hysteria of Boston sports where the writers feed into our natural superstitions.
I don’t mind other fans attacking a team that I’ve been rooting for for the last couple of decades. I do mind some of the ignorant comments but not all that much since a majority of other people out there recognize them as such. But what I really hate is this sudden “Theo was bad in Boston” BS coming from some Red Sox fans. When Theo took the reigns we had a few pieces in the farm that were just ok, a couple of great players, and a team that as a whole wasn’t ready to compete. In his tenure Theo brought us 2 titles, a farm that finally produced some great players, and ultimately changed the culture of Red Sox baseball to something fans could be proud of.
You should be happy Theo is in Chicago. I look forward to seeing what he can do there. I’m sad to lose Theo but oh well times change and we now have his top lieutenant at the helm.
East Coast Bias
Yes. Exactly. I can’t stand the lack of loyalty to players, or in this case, GMs when they leave the organization. It’s partially evident in this thread, but there have been blatant bashing of Theo/Terry in other Sox threads from the fans. I’ll take two championships in a decade any day!
OldStyle_NewCubs 2
Funny how so many people (a certain fan base) are already poo-pooing this hire (assuming it even happens) like they’ve got some Miss Cleo skills. I was personally pulling for Maddux, but for the first time in a long time I can honestly say I would have had confidence in whoever our FO chose as our manager. That’s a nice change of pace.
Joe Hesh
The Cubs need more personnel with names they can neither spell nor pronounce…..
mehs
Where is Buster Onlney with a column about how Sveum has withdrawn his name from consideration by the Red Sox?
tfsmag
I would have preferred Maddux, but the guy puts his family over his career and I can’t fault him for that. I’m going to take a wait and see with Sveum. One thing is for sure, he won’t have to try awfully hard to make himself look better than Quade.
Now let’s start shaping our dang roster, first day of spring training is just around the corner!
OldStyle_NewCubs 2
Is there a national baseball reporter/writer whose work is respected and appreciated by anyone on this site? This isn’t rhetorical.
tfsmag
He’s not considered “national” but I really like Bruce Miles from the Daily Herald.
101andcounting
I do too, actually. I’ve been getting the Herald since I was a kid, and I’ve always thought Miles was a very respectable writer. Rozner and Imrem are both hilarious and generally raise some good points, but oftentimes they forsake actual analysis for bandwagoning idiocy.
crashcameron
funny/true!
but i know the feeling is mutual from the reporter/writers
gr8testsoxfan
Hey maybe hiring Sveum will help them land Fielder.
Alvaro Ortiz
Does this mean that Tito Francona will do colour for more telecasts? He was nailing it during the ALCS.
Chris
That’s what I have heard
Funkhouser Jr.
This makes sense because: 1) Sveum worked for the Brewers, so he already knows the National League Central; 2) Sveum worked with Theo & Co. in Boston, so there is already a great deal of familiarity/comfort between them; 3) Sveum isn’t a big enough personality to step out of line. He’ll very much be a “company man” and allow Theo & Co. to run the show; 4) He’s young and energetic enough to have a proactive approach with what appears to be a markedly younger team.
tfsmag
Also, the guy played in the big leagues for 12 seasons or so. I think the players might take his viewpoint a little more seriously than they did Quade. As bad as that is to say.
101andcounting
Milwaukee losing their hitting coach is an added bonus. I was a little dodgy about the Sveum pick – I wanted to see Maddux, personally – but the more I think about it, the better Sveum seems to be. I don’t see us competing for a while, but I see no reason that he can’t be a competent manager.
Cachhubguy
Remember when we were talking about how much leverage the Red Sox had in the Theo compensation. Time flies.
tfsmag
As soon as the Red Sox let him go over without compensation being decided, the Red Sox lost all leverage. If MLB has to step in, they’re not going to set a precedent of giving up alot for a front office executive to be let out of a contract one year early to take a promotion. If it were a lateral move, I could see a 50/50 chance they make the cubs give up something of at least a little value. At this point I doubt we end up sending over much more than middle prospect that projects to be a utility player.
crashcameron
Sveum has shrewd-move potential
1. less expectations and attention than bringing in a bigger name (especially in the case of Ryno)
2. with this lineup, Sveum has a couple or so years to learn/refine his game and could be ready by the time the team is (maybe) close to being ready
tfsmag
Any guesses on bench coach, pitching coach, etc?
The_BiRDS
your dad Al Bundy
tfsmag
It’s a shame that even after the cardinals win a world series their fans have nothing better to do than hang out on news posts regarding the cubs and troll. Congratulations on making your fanbase look even more inbred and clueless.
baseball52
Don’t feed the troll.
stroh
Dale Sveum. Exciting. Maybe they’ll trade for Leif Ericsson.