Chicago Cubs Name Greg Maddux Assistant GM

The Chicago Cubs made a move in their front office yesterday, and unfortunately for fans, it wasn’t the firing of Jim Hendry.

The Cubs announced yesterday that future Hall of Famer and former Cub, Greg Maddux, will join their front office as an assistant GM to Hendry. Maddux played 10 seasons with the Cubs from 1986-1992 and from 2004 to 2006.

This is a pretty interesting move in the fact that you don’t see many superstars move into the front office after they retire. Sometimes you will see a superstar like Mike Schmidt or Ryne Sandberg move into managing or become a minor league instructor, but you rarely see a superstar move into the front office.

As a matter of fact, I really can’t think of anyone off the top of my head that was a superstar or a star in the game of baseball becoming a GM or an Assistant GM for an organization. I think the reason for this is when it comes to contracts, there is a line drawn in the sand and a lot of animosity grows between player and front office.

The player doesn’t want to become the person who made his life miserable at times and vice-versa. Why did Maddux want to go this route?

“I’m just going to do what I can to learn how both sides of the game work this year and then kind of make a decision after that,” Maddux said through the Associated Press.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to learning things about the game that I never thought I had to learn, and at the same time trying to pass down what I’ve learned the last 20 years to the players that are going to play hopefully for the next 20 years.”

Maddux’s responsibilities will include assisting the coaching staffs at major and minor league spring training, evaluating talent and developing minor league players.

Hopefully Maddux will better evaluate players than Hendry has over the years. I have written time and time again how I feel Hendry is one of the worst GM’s in baseball.

Hendry said “When Greg Maddux walks in your front door, your organization became a lot better that day.”

You know what would also make the Cubs a lot better organization, Jim? You leaving it.

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