The Chicago Cubs are expected to announce the hiring of Joe Maddon as the club's new manager after deciding to part ways with Rick Renteria, who only spent one season with the team.

Team president Theo Epstein said in a statement that they saw a great opportunity to sign Maddon after the 60-year-old manager decided to leave Tampa Bay Rays. He added that it was not an easy decision for them because they wanted to show loyalty to Renteria but opted to make the change for the best interest of the Cubs.

"We learned that Joe Maddon, who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us, had become a free agent," Epstein said in a statement. "We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual."

The Cubs finished last in the National League Central standings with a 73-89 record, but they were expected to retain Renteria, who was hired before the 2014 MLB season to lead the club in its transition phase.

But when Maddon became available, general manager Jed Hoyer visited Renteria in San Diego to inform him about their pursuit of the former Rays manager and admitted that changes will likely be made.

"Rick deserved to come back for another season as Cubs manager, and we said as much when we announced that he would be returning in 2015," Epstein said of Maddon. "We met with Rick two weeks ago for a long end-of-season evaluation and discussed plans for next season. We praised Rick to the media and to our season-ticket holders. These actions were made in good faith."

Cubs pitcher Carlos Villanueva reacted to the change, saying that he believes Renteria did a terrific job despite the fact that they decided to part ways with starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel midway through the past season.

"I believe he did a wonderful job with the circumstances he was presented with this past season," Villanueva said via the Cubs' official website. "It is very hard to be evaluated after only one season managing, especially when your two best starters are traded away midseason."

ESPN reported that the Cubs, who are still looking to end their 106 years of title drought, will likely retain most of their coaching staff for the 2015 MLB season.

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