01-03-2020, 06:57 AM
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are set to hire San Diego Padres bench coach Rick Renteria as their manager, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the hiring has not been announced. The team was expected to make it official on Thursday. The move ends a long search that began with the last-place Cubs targeting New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, only to be denied a shot when he decided to stay put. Instead, the Cubs are hoping Renteria can help develop their young players and lead them to their first championship since 1908. He replaces Dale Sveum, who was fired after two seasons. The Cubs went 66-96 this season and finished at the bottom of the NL Central. A former major league infielder, Renteria spent the past six years on the Padres staff and had been their bench coach since 2011. Before that, he coached and managed in the San Diego and Florida Marlins organizations. Renteria also managed Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in March. The Cubs are counting on him to get the most out of young players such as shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, along with prospects such as Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Kris Bryant. The lack of development by young players on the roster was a major sticking point with Sveum. And with more young players on the way, the front office decided it was time for a change. The Cubs were 127-197 under Sveum and finished in last place for the first time in seven years. They had targeted Girardi, a Peoria, Ill., native and Northwestern product who played for them. But the former catcher signed a four-year contract worth up to $20 million to stay with New York through 2017. That forced the Cubs to look elsewhere. Besides Renteria, they interviewed former Mariners and Indians manager Eric Wedge, Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, former Nationals and Indians manager Manny Acta, former Diamond-backs manager A.J. Hinch, and Brad Ausmus, who was hired by the Tigers on Sunday. They were also interested in talking to Boston bench coach Torey Lovullo. But according to reports, the Red Sox invoked an agreement banning Cubs president Theo Epstein from hiring any of their employees over a three-year period. Taylor Decker Jersey Retro . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Cheap Jerseys . - Loosening up for their first training camp practice, the Miami Dolphins high-stepped sideways up and down the field while House of Pains song "Jump Around" blared on the loudspeakers. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/donald...sey-retro/ . -- The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Sidney Rice have agreed to terms on a deal. Matt Szymanski Jersey Retro . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. Buzz Sawyer Jersey Retro .500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix.Alastair Cook will have to wait to become the first Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs, as he fell for 16 on day one of the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley. Cook and Alex Hales had worked hard on their way to 49-0 after being put into bat by Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews, before Dasun Shanaka - on debut - removed the England captain with just his seventh ball in Test cricket, leaving him still 20 short of 10,000.Shanaka (3-30) added the strikes of Nick Compton and Joe Root for ducks to continue a dream debut, and after James Vince and Ben Stokes fell soon after lunch, England were reeling on 83-5. Hales (71no) and Jonny Bairstow (54no) led tthe England fightback, adding 88 for the sixth wicket to take England safely through to tea on 171-5, before rain meant no further play was possible for the day.ddddddddddddatch live coverage from day two of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley, live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30am on Friday. You can also catch highlights from day one at 8pm on Sky Sports 3, with The Verdict following immediately after at 9pm. Also See: Scorecard England v Sri Lanka on Sky Sports England fixtures/results Sri Lanka fixtures/results ' ' '