Cubs Fire Dale Sveum

There's no confirmation of this yet, nor any word on any coaches that have been let go, but here's the first word on the Cubs' firing of manager Dale Sveum:

Source: #Cubs fire Sveum.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 30, 2013

This should come as a surprise to no one as it's been rumored for a couple of weeks now. I would think that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer will work quickly to find a replacement, even as they pay Sveum for the final year of the three-year contract he signed before the 2012 season.

I wish him well. I had many disagreements, as you know, with his bullpen use, strategy and lineup construction, but one thing can be said for sure: his players respected him and they played hard for him every single day. That cannot be said of several recent Cubs managers. Dale's tenure was a step in the right direction.

I'll update this post with more information as it's available -- here's some right now:

Some members of staff may return. Search underway with Girardi far and away the #1 choice.

— David Kaplan (@thekapman) September 30, 2013