Dave Martinez's long-awaited gain is another Cubs' loss.
The Nationals hired Martinez, a longtime bench coach under Joe Maddon, to become their manager. Martinez, 53, had interviewed for the Nationals' job that went to Matt Williams before the 2014 season and for the Dodgers' position that went to Dave Roberts prior to the 2016 season.
A source confirmed the hiring of Martinez, which cannot be made official until during a break in the World Series.
This marks another change in the Cubs' coaching staff, which has seen assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske leave to become the Angels hitting coach, and hitting coach John Mallee, third base coach Gary Jones and pitching coach Chris Bosio (now with the Tigers) not retained.
First base coach Brandon Hyde could transition to become the bench coach, a position he held under Edwin Rodriguez and Jack McKeon with the Marlins in 2010-11.
"When I took the (manager's) job to finish (2011), I thought he'd have a chance to replace me," McKeon told the Tribune in a 2013 interview. "He was very-well prepared, very aggressive. He wasn't afraid to jump on somebody if they needed to be jumped on, which a lot of coaches don't want to do.
"But he was on top of the game. He was always keeping me sharp on what you want to do, in situations he was always ready for advice. He was ahead of the game."
As of now, the lone coaching holdovers from Maddon's staff are Mike Borzello, Lester Strode and Hyde, with hitting coach Chili Davis, third base coach Brian Butterfield and pitching coach Jim Hickey as newcomers.
Maddon has strongly endorsed Martinez as a managerial candidate, so his departure isn't a big surprise. Martinez handled some of Maddon's in-game duties during spring training and wasn't afraid to administer some verbal discipline to players if necessary.
FanRagsSports.com and the Washington Post first reported Martinez's hiring. According to those reports, Martinez will receive a three-year deal that includes an option.
