Cubs cleared of tampering in hiring of Joe Maddon

The Chicago Cubs did not break any tampering rules when they hired Joe Maddon in the offseason, Major League Baseball has concluded.

Maddon was hired by the club in October, just a few days after opting out of his deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. In the aftermath, reports surfaced that the Rays were convinced the Cubs enticed Maddon to walk away from his deal with Tampa Bay.

Shortly after the hiring, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein made sure to outline the team's process with Maddon. Epstein said the team did not have contact with Maddon until he had become a free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.

“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,” Epstein said.

“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.”

The Rays were unconvinced, and filed tampering charges with the league. It took nearly six months, but the investigation finally concluded Wednesday.

Had the Cubs been found guilty of tampering, the commissioner's office would have determined the appropriate penalty. The team may have been fined, or forced to give up a player in return for Maddon.

That, obviously, did not happen, and all sides will proceed as usual. The whole situation seemed a bit sketchy at the time given the speed at which all parties acted, but it was likely difficult for MLB to prove any charges. If Maddon says the Cubs didn't contact him early, and the Cubs remain adamant that they never broke any rules, there's really no way for MLB to contradict them without making the situation messier.

Now that the investigation is over, the Cubs can breathe slightly easier. Maddon can focus on managing his team, and won't have to worry about any fallout from his offseason move. The Rays are likely disappointed after losing Maddon, but Kevin Cash has them out to a surprising start thus far.

Both teams can focus on baseball now, and that's probably for the best.