Nicholas Castellanos Perfectly Explains Why Cubs and Joe Maddon Were Destined to Part
Nicholas Castellanos only spent a year playing for the Chicago Cubs, and even in such a short time, he seems to have manager Joe Maddon's departure all figured out.
Maddon officially announced that he was leaving the Cubs in September 2019 after five years. He was beloved in Chicago after bringing the North Side its first World Series victory since 1908 in 2016. However, 2019 was the team's worst season under Maddon, and both he and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein have cited philosophical differences as the reason for Maddon's departure.
Maddon was great for the Cubs while it lasted, but the organization was changing and needed something new. Castellanos said it best in this interview with The Athletic — Maddon doesn't change his ways, and the Cubs front office needed a fresh face, and got one in David Ross.
Castellanos only played one season under Maddon, and if he could see the divide between his skipper and the organization's leadership, you can bet that both parties understood it too. Maddon knew that his days as a Cub were numbered from the beginning, and that's what allowed him to leave on good terms with Epstein and with Chicago.
