According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Major League Baseball is investigating the Cubs for possible tampering regarding manager Joe Maddon. The Rays submitted a request last week and the league will look into whether Chicago spoke to Maddon while he was still under contract with Tampa Bay.
Here are some more details from Sherman:
It is the Rays’ contention Maddon only opted out of his contract because he was made aware of what the Cubs were willing to offer him should he jump. If that indeed occurred, it would be an infraction of major league rules that forbid teams to talk to personnel under contract with another club.
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If it is proven the Cubs tampered, they may have to give the Rays some form of compensation, such as a player, draft picks and/or money. It also is possible — especially if any Cubs official lied to MLB investigators — there could be suspensions. The same wing that investigated Alex Rodriguez in the Biogenesis matter is looking into these tampering allegations.
Maddon opted out of his contract with the Rays -- he gained the ability to opt out when GM Andrew Friedman left for the Dodgers -- on Oct. 24 and reportedly agreed to a contract with the Cubs on Oct. 30, less than one week later. The contract came together very quickly.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein laid out the team's pursuit of Maddon when they announced the firing of incumbent manager Rick Renteria:
Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon - who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us - had become a free agent. We confirmed the news with Major League Baseball, and it became public knowledge the next day. We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe.
It is very difficult to prove tampering took place and in all likelihood nothing will come of this. That's usually what happens in tampering cases. It is an indication the Rays are not happy with the way things went down, though I'm not sure that was much of a secret.
