Major League Baseball

Rothschild exercises option for next season

Published Oct. 12, 2010 10:17 p.m. ET

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They don't know what they'll get from Carlos Zambrano -- or for him, if he can be traded -- and they don't know whether they can replace the quality lost when they traded Ted Lilly to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July.

But the Cubs look like they'll have one of the biggest constants and keys to their pitching staff back for 2011 after pitching coach Larry Rothschild exercised his contract option to return for a 10th season.

That puts two key coaches under contract for next season, pending the hiring of a new manager, including hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who has two years left on his contract.

Interim manager Mike Quade, whose 24-13 record and outspoken support from veteran players down the stretch makes him look like the favorite, has a strong relationship with Rothschild.

Class AAA manager Ryne Sandberg, former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge and former Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin also were among the final candidates to survive into this week.

Rothschild, 56, has been general manager Jim Hendry's pitching coach through five Cubs managers, at one point turning down a multiyear offer from Detroit to stay in Chicago.

Until the Cubs paraded 12 rookies through their staff in 2010 -- including a bullpen that was more than half filled with rookies most of the year -- Rothschild's staffs finished among the top five in major-league team ERA for three straight years (2007-09).

Despite ranking 13th in the National League in ERA this season (4.18), the Cubs led the NL with 96 quality starts, second in the majors to Oakland (103).

Their 3.24 ERA during a 19-10 finish after August ranked third in the NL, albeit during a deceptive time of the season for evaluating performances.

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