Randy Holt
Randy Holt
Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

After the weeks of speculation, it appears as if the Chicago Cubs’ search for a new manager could finally be coming to a close.

Reports throughout the Twitterspace, courtesy of Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal, have announced the Cubs have extended an offer to Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum to become their new manager.

The offer comes with the news that Mike Maddux dropped out of the running, as he did with the Boston Red Sox before even interviewing. Indications are that Maddux was offered the job, but his family came first and he chose to stay in his current position as pitching coach of the Texas Rangers.

Sveum was one of the bigger names circulating around the league for managerial vacancies, including that of the Red Sox. In fact, the Sox had Sveum in for a second interview this week, but he may be going in a different direction.

The Cubs hosted their second round of interviews with their five candidates, four of which were done over the phone. Sveum’s, however, was in person. While initially that seemed like a coincidence given the fact that Sveum was present at this week’s GM meetings, it now makes a little more sense.

Though the Red Sox had Sveum in for multiple interviews, they never made him an offer. All indications are that Sveum will take the job with the Cubs.

Despite the fact that Maddux was favored by many, Sveum is a hire that makes sense for the Cubs. His recent stint with Milwaukee gives him strong knowledge of the NL Central and he has a history with both Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, having formerly coached in Boston.

There is still no word on if and when Sveum will accept the job, but assuming he does, we could be in for a press conference within the next few days. The Cubs likely want to get things wrapped up before Thanksgiving, but it’s hard to imagine an announcement coming later than this weekend.

UPDATE: Sveum has accepted the job to become the new skipper of the Chicago Cubs. The team will introduce him at a press conference on Friday. Stay tuned.

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