CHICAGO _ Through all the injuries and cries for more playing time for Albert Almora Jr., manager Joe Maddon has navigated the Cubs to the best record in the National League with more than one year left on his contract.
Theo Epstein tempered any talk about extending Maddon's deal while praising him and virtually the entire front office.
"Nothing like that is even a thought in our mind right now," Epstein said Tuesday. "Probably not in Joe's (mind), either. We're just focused on trying to make the absolute most of the season.
"I'd say the appropriate time for us, internally, is to start thinking about it after we play our last game."
Maddon, 64, signed a five-year, $25 million contract prior to the 2015 season. His annual pay went from $5 million to $6 million after the Cubs won the 2016 World Series.
Epstein didn't elaborate specifically on Maddon's work this season, making sure that his professional scouting department received ample credit for midseason acquisitions Cole Hamels, Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler.
"We were in a bit of a precarious spot where we needed help," Epstein said. "Our pitching, as a whole, hasn't gone as well as we would have wanted it to. We needed help. There weren't a lot of obvious paths to get it, so we focused on being thorough and resourceful and creative this year.
"It wasn't a year where we had a lot of margin for error."
