CINCINNATI -- The Cubs are keeping the band together. Two days after the team gave president of baseball operations Theo Epstein a five-year extension, Chicago on Friday announced extensions for general manager Jed Hoyer and senior vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod through 2021.
"Jed and Jason are simply the best at what they do and have played fundamentally important leadership roles in helping the Cubs build a healthy and thriving organization," Epstein said in a statement on Friday. "We feel honored to have the stability and support that we enjoy throughout baseball operations and look forward to many years of working together in Chicago."
Both Hoyer and McLeod joined the Cubs on Nov. 1, 2011, and along with Epstein, they have led an organizational rebuild. The Cubs lost 101 games in their first season in 2012, and this year, they have won 101 games. The Cubs are the third team in Major League history to win at least 100 games within four years of a 100-loss season.
Prior to joining the Cubs, Hoyer had spent the previous 10 seasons working in MLB with the Red Sox (2002-09 with Epstein) and Padres ('10-11 with McLeod).
McLeod spent six years in Boston's scouting department before returning to San Diego after Hoyer was named general manager. During his two seasons as the club's vice president/assistant general manager, McLeod also oversaw the Padres' amateur scouting and player development efforts.
"It's a great infrastructure," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Friday. "I'm very fortunate to be here, and I mean it, the heavy lifting had been done. You could see immediately what the guys had done here and the plan."
Maddon said he was happy not only for Hoyer and McLeod, but also for their families.
"I know what it means to the person who has worked hard to get there, and then his entire family, it's pretty special," Maddon said. "It's nice to keep the band together. Continuity is real, real important."