CHICAGO (AP) The Cubs have hired Jim Hickey as their pitching coach and moved Brandon Hyde to bench coach.
Hickey spent 11 years as Tampa Bay’s pitching coach before a split with the Rays at the end of the season. He is reuniting with his old boss Joe Maddon in Chicago and replacing Chris Bosio, whose contract was not renewed.
Hyde takes over for Dave Martinez, who left to become the Washington Nationals’ manager. Hyde was the Cubs’ bench coach under Rick Renteria in 2014 and spent the next three seasons under Maddon as the first base coach.
Hickey, a Chicago native, worked eight years on Maddon’s staff in Tampa Bay. The small-market Rays consistently ranked among the best in the American League, winning 90 or more games five times and capturing the pennant in 2008.
Tampa Bay produced solid staffs even though the team has not contended in recent seasons. The Rays were eighth in the majors in both ERA and opponents’ batting average this year.
Chicago, which confirmed the moves Thursday, decided to shake up its coaching staff after losing to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series and falling short of a return to the World Series. The Cubs also hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach to replace John Mallee and brought in Brian Butterfield as third-base coach.
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