Dec. 10--SAN DIEGO -- Manager Joe Maddon admitted there's some curiosity as he switches from the underdog Tampa Bay Rays to the Cubs and the surroundings of a big league city.
"And I'm really excited about it," Maddon told reporters Tuesday at the winter meetings. "I'm not just slightly excited. I'm very excited about it. And I know there's going to be bad moments, -- a tough, bad losing streak and everybody is going to go crazy. That's what fans are supposed to do. At the end of the day, if we stick to the program eventually we're going to come out on the other side and it will be a nice run."
Maddon, known for his unconventional but effective methods, possibly could tinker with the roles of relievers.
"So for me it's more about leverage moments based on matchups. You may get to the point where you get three dudes that are totally neutral, they get both sides out well, and might be a matter of rest at that point. But with last year, you saw that Jake McGee coming in the eighth inning. I was not afraid to put Box (Brad Boxberger) in later in the game. It was a pretty good bullpen last year there, too.
To me, if you have a defined closer, that's another thing. So if you have a defined closer that you're able to match this thing up a little bit more before that. But it's more about leverage moments to me as opposed to saying you're a sixth, seventh, or eighth inning guy."
Maddon said he also understands the criticism that he received for taking the job held by Rick Renteria after exercising an option to get out of the final year of his contract with the Rays.
"I don't think it's my right or any manager's right to try to tell an organization how to run their organization; how they should view things, see things, or whatever. I think it was my responsibility or my opportunity to say, ''here I am, I'm available,' just based on the rules, my rights."
Maddon said he didn't know he had an opt-out clause until former Rays vice president Andrew Friedman told him.
"So I had to think about it, and I thought about it and I tried to make the right decisions," Maddon said. "And at the end of the day there is a selfish component to that, I'm not going to deny that. There is a selfish component. It's about my family and the future of my kids and my grand kids, also. But it really came down to the point where I was able to exercise a right that permitted me to be available. And it was up to everybody else to do or say what they wanted to, I had no control over that."
The Cubs' plan to have their players increase their versatility by playing multiple positions fits Maddon's style, which will be enhanced in the National League without the designated hitter and multiple switches.
"When you have that kind of flexibility among your group, the game in progress permits you to do a lot of different things," Maddon aid. "You can do a lot of different things. When we're talking about behind mostly, when you're ahead you're normally not going to do a lot of crazy stuff, except to possibly augment your defense.
Maddon seemed more obsessed with ways to maximize the strength of his players as they cope with plenty of home day games that include 3:05 p.m. starts on Fridays.
"These are some things I want to get some help with in regards to planning that may create a fresher player at the right moment. These are the things that are really piquing my interest more than anything right now.
"Once we get to Mesa (for spring training) and see the guys on the field, and I'll figure out and get to see the kind of baseball players they are when you're in the dugout. But the other stuff is where you want to get on now and research and see if there's a common thread there that maybe has not been done before, that may be official."
