Dale Sveum: Hitting Coach Offered Golden Ticket with Chicago Cubs Gig

Dale Sveum has been a highly-touted managerial prospect after being the hitting coach for the Brewers, who possessed one of the league's most powerful offenses. This offseason he has interviewed twice for two of baseball's most coveted jobs.  After speaking multiple times with the Red Sox and Cubs, Sveum has procured an offer from the new Theo Epstein regime in Chicago. 

Personally, I think this is a dream job, especially for a first-time manager.  Not only because of the baseball market that is Chicago, but because they made the move already to bring in Epstein and are in a win-now mode.  Sveum, as stated earlier, has been on the Red Sox radar as well, whom Epstein just left after two World Series titles after being their GM since 2002.

The Cubs also acquired former San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer and the offer to the highly coveted Sveum at manager would round out a formidable front office staff from president down to the field.  Sveum does have some managerial experience from when he took over the Milwaukee Brewers for the final 12 games of the 2008 season and also the Wild Card round of the playoffs, which they lost in four games.

For Sveum, the rumored acceptance of the Cubs offer has many great possibilities.  First the desire to win is there as is the pressure to win, but there aren't many jobs that can rival the pressure that comes in Boston.  From the perspective of a first-time manager, he will feel the pressure in Chicago, which is in the midst of a title drought much like the one Epstein helped erase in Boston.  Still, it will be an easier job for him even if its by a slim margin.

He has been a third base coach, bench coach and a hitting coach for the Brewers since 2006.  It will also be beneficial for him that he has coached in not only the National League, but the Central Division.  He will know his competition and know their style of play in their attempts to overtake the division from Milwaukee and St. Louis. 

The Cubs are seeking a turnaround after they finished with just 71 wins this past season, their worst finish since 2002.  The good news for the Cubs is that in 2003 they they won their first playoff series since their last World Series title in 1908. 

A similar turnaround would make Epstein and Sveum look like geniuses, but even an improvement in just competing on a regular basis will get the job done this year.

That's why this is such a great opportunity for Sveum to jump on board right now.  I believe Epstein would not have left a cozy position in Boston unless he really had the fire to win and erase another century-long drought for a storied franchise. 

He has the know-how and will certainly have money to spend in improving the Cubs.  Sveum will likely lead a high-powered Cubs team that Epstein and Hoyer will put together for him.

As a former bench coach and hitting coach and a former player as recently as 1999 he will have no trouble relating with his new roster.  The Cubs will be ready to win now, but again offer a little more time for Sveum to get his feet wet than Boston would.  This is a an opportunity to be a part of a major turnaround and big-time story if all goes according to plan for Epstein and Chicago.