Joe Maddon: 2016 Cubs ‘should've stayed together longer'

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Joe Maddon sounds happy that the Cubs have started extending players, but admitted he thinks the move to keep guys on the North Side should’ve happened earlierー like when he was still managing players like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras.

“Yeah, we should have stayed together longer,” Maddon said on 670 The Score on Monday. “There's no question. We had a lot more chicken left on the bone. We did, but not given the opportunity. I'll say that because it's true.”

Maddon was the man who finally led the Cubs to a World Series victory after 108 years of ineptitude. Of course, the players were pivotal in bringing a championship trophy back to Chicago, but seven years later only Kyle Hendricks remains from the World Series winners. Key contributors like Bryant, Contreras and Kyle Schwarber left in free agency. Others like Rizzo and Javy Baez were traded away. The Cubs finally seem to have a contender on their hands again, but fans had to endure several years of rebuilding to get back to this point.

Regardless of Maddon’s thoughts about the disassembly of his team, he doesn’t lament the past or the missed opportunities.

“What's going on right now, man, I'm just happy for Nico and I'm happy for Ian,” Maddon said. “And again, this is the present day club. This isn't several years ago, Cubs. You can't revisit that. It's over. So they got to do what they think is right, right now. And these are really good players and they're good dudes.”

Just over two weeks into the season, the Cubs sit at second in the N.L. Central with a 9-6 record. They continue their three-game series against the A’s on Tuesday night.

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