Cubs an obvious landing spot for ex-Rays manager Joe Maddon

Until they actually got down to negotiating, Rays officials and Joe Maddon thought they were headed to a new deal that would have kept him in their dugout for at least three and up to 10 additional years.But after both sides spoke longingly of staying together long term, something changed, something that resulted in Friday's unexpected and not particularly harmonious breakup, with bad feelings — and the potential of a tampering charge — lingering.Maybe, as Maddon's side says, it was him warming to the opportunity of free agency due to an opt-out clause and deciding he didn't need to settle for another deal he considered below market value for a top manager, with salaries topping out at just more than $3 million.Or maybe, as the Rays' side wonders, it was a team — the Cubs are most speculated upon — that at least let its intent be known, or perhaps had already cut a deal, for Maddon to take over after it dumps a current manager.Though a handful of other teams could have interest — the Angels, Braves and Blue Jays come to mind; the Dodgers, Mets and Phillies claim to not be interested now — the Cubs make the most sense. (One baseball exec said he'd take the Cubs and give a bettor the other 28 teams as Maddon's next stop.)They have the money to pay Maddon the $5 million for four-five years he'd want, the core of young talent he could mold, the big-market stage he'd enjoy, the intellectual stimulation of NL rules, the chance to be deified for winning a long-sought championship there. During the Rays' August visit to Wrigley Field, Maddon raved about the atmosphere.Cubs baseball chief Theo Epstein has long admired Maddon since interviewing him for the Red Sox opening in 2003. And Epstein's weekend silence on the Maddon rumors seems quite telling.Maddon's agent, Alan Nero , reiterated Saturday that Maddon has nothing lined up, that he could sit out the '15 season and do TV work if the right opportunity doesn't present, and there was "absolutely not" any tampering. But Nero also said he expects Maddon will be in the dugout somewhere. And the Rays are eager to see how they manage that. OPT-OUT: Maddon mentioned in several interviews that Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman was the one who told him about the opt-out clause (triggered by the departure of executive VP Andrew Friedman ), leading to suggestions that Silverman made a major strategic blunder or, if he really wanted Maddon out, a masterful move. But Silverman was simply following protocol in notifying Maddon. It was Nero who had the clause inserted, was well aware of its impact and was set to fully verse Maddon. Silverman just happened to mention it first as a courtesy. HOLLYWOOD $TYLE: It was widely assumed when Friedman left for the Dodgers that part of the lure was a lucrative offer. Apparently so. Friedman, per ESPN's Buster Olney , got a team executive record $35 million over five years, plus incentives. OH, CANADA?: The longer the stadium issue drags on in Tampa Bay, the more rumors will surface about the Rays bolting. New York Daily News baseball columnist Bill Madden dropped this into the bottom of a recent column: "According to sources, (principal owner Stuart ) Sternberg has had discussions with wealthy Wall Street associates about moving the Rays to Montreal." RAYS RUMBLINGS: Maddon's departure was front-page news in the Chicago Sun-Times and earned the back page of the New York Daily News . … Look for the Rays spring training schedule in early November. … Rays minor-league player of the year OF Johnny Field and three others — C Maxx Tissenbaum , OF Granden Goetzman and INF Tommy Coyle — are down under playing for Brisbane in the Australian league. … Shannon Magrane , pop-singing daughter of former Rays TV man Joe , has her first single, Weather , out on iTunes.

Cubs an obvious landing spot for ex-Rays manager Joe Maddon

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