The Chicago Cubs parted ways with former hitting coach Chili Davis over his failure to connect with young stars like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, while Hickey left the team for “personal reasons” despite lowering the staff ERA from 3.95 in 2017 to 3.65 in 2018.
Realistically, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer simply needed a new direction for the team after a cataclysmic collapse to end the 2018 season. Much of this had to do with finding the right personnel to resonate with the younger personalities on the roster.
Familiar faces with prior experience in the organization suddenly appeared to be the most appealing candidates to the front office.