over the Chicago Cubs heading into the season.President of baseball operations Theo Epstein thinks everything is going to work out just fine.“My bet is that it goes extraordinarily well with Joe and the whole group and that he’s here for a long time to come Adam Wainwright Jersey ,” Epstein said.Maddon, who turns 65 next month, is under contract for one more year after Epstein and the Cubs decided against offering him an extension over the winter. They want to see how the team rebounds from a disappointing finish last year.Chicago posted at least 92 wins and made the playoffs in each of Maddon’s first four seasons as manager. It won the World Series in 2016 for its first championship since 1908.But the Cubs blew a five-game lead in the NL Central last September. They lost to Milwaukee in a tiebreaker for the division title and then dropped the NL wild-card game against Colorado.Cracks in the relationship between Maddon and the front office seemed to develop during the season. But on Saturday, there was nothing but praise from Epstein.He credited Maddon’s handling of the young players in 2015 and 2016 for that drought-busting title. He praised Maddon’s ability to create an environment that allowed them “to have fun.” He also mentioned Maddon’s flexibility and willingness to adapt.“The great thing about Joe is even though he’s a little bit older than me, he’s never standing still,” Epstein said. “He’s never satisfied. He’s a creative person. I think he’s an adaptable person. He’s someone who likes the challenge. He is someone who is going to bring great energy to solving any problem.”One big challenge for Chicago: Getting more out of an inconsistent lineup.Sluggers Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain free agents Michael Wacha Jersey , but it doesn’t sound as if Epstein has room to fit another blockbuster contract into his budget for next season. A healthy Kris Bryant should help, after a left shoulder injury limited the 2016 NL MVP to a career-low 102 games.If the Cubs get more at the plate from Willson Contreras among others, they believe they can eliminate the wild scoring swings that hurt them last season. Chicago was fourth in the NL in runs but had one or zero in 39 regular-season games.“We felt like we should have hit better than we did,” Ben Zobrist said. “Changes were made. Some structural changes are being made as well at the same time, the way that we’re gonna go about some of the routines and things like that. That’s the challenge that we have ahead of us as a hitting group, knowing how we’re gonna handle those dips in those times where things don’t go as well.”Chicago has a new hitting coach http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com … ith-jersey , with Anthony Iapoce replacing the fired Chili Davis. Iapoce held a similar job with the Texas Rangers the past three seasons. He was a special assistant in the Cubs’ front office from 2013-15, overseeing their minor league hitting program and working with several of their current position players.“He’s great,” Bryant said. “He’s really good. When I worked with him, it wasn’t necessarily mechanics. It was more the mental side. I think we all have the talent to be a good hitter or we all wouldn’t be here.”Epstein is banking on the Cubs rebounding, delivering more consistently at the plate. If they do, that could go a long way toward determining whether Maddon remains their manager.“It hasn’t fully happened the way we expected it to Albert Pujols Jersey ,” Epstein said. “I don’t think this offense is fully realized. … I think you’re going to see significant bounce-back.” Focus On Sport/Getty ImagesFormer MLB pitcher Bob Friend, who spent the bulk of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, died Sunday."It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we confirm the passing of a beloved member of the Pirates family, Bob Friend, earlier this morning at the age of 88," Pirates President Frank Coonelly said http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com … ial-jersey , per MLB.com's Manny Randhawa. "Bob was an outstanding baseball man, and an even better person."Friend played 15 years in Pittsburgh before splitting the 1966 season with the New York Mets and New York Yankees.Friend made 477 starts for the Pirates, which remain a franchise record. He finished 191-218 with a 3.55 ERA in 568 career appearances. According to Baseball Reference, he's third in career WAR (47.7), first in strikeouts (1,682) Roger Maris Jersey , eighth in complete games (161) and third in shutouts (35) among Pirates pitchers.Friend was also a four-time All-Star, the last of his All-Star nods coming in 1960 as Pittsburgh won its third World Series title. His most notable season came in 1958, when he not only reached the All-Star Game but also finished third in the National League Cy Young voting and sixth on the Most Valuable Player ballot.Randhawa noted Friend was a founding officer for the Pirates Alumni Association after he retired in 1966.