Maddon says opt-out was 'unique window' he had to open

TAMPA It happened so quickly for everyone involved, for Joe Maddon and the Rays front office, for the players and the fans, that three weeks later it seems everything is still swirling, that the flakes in the snow globe that is Rays Baseball have yet to settle.

One day Maddon is talking about extending his contract with the Rays, then hes exercising his opt-out clause, then hes basking in front of TV lights in Chicago wearing a Cubs jersey and talking about ending a century-long World Series drought on the citys north side.

To use one of Maddons stock words, Poom.

What happened?

It was a unique moment, Maddon said Friday. The window opened. Ive been looking out this window constantly and the window is always closed, and all of a sudden the window was open for two weeks, and all this had to be accelerated.

The window, of course, is the now infamous opt-out clause in Maddons contract that kicked in when executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman left the organization. Maddon had two weeks to negotiate a new deal or opt out of the remainder of his contact, which expired after next season.

It took Maddon one week to opt out.

He left behind a stunned fan base and a front office unhappy with the quick turn of events. The commissioners office is looking into whether the Cubs tampered with Maddon while he was still under contract with the Rays a charge Maddon and his agent, Alan Nero, deny.

I can understand that based on rapidity of how all this came down, Maddon said.

He can also understand the frustration in Tampa Bay. But, Maddon said, things would have been worse if he and the Rays did not reach an agreement on a new contract and he remained for his final year. Rumors of where Maddon would end up in 2016 would have hung over the Rays until the final out of the season.

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Maddon says opt-out was 'unique window' he had to open