A heated discussion broke out between Cubs manager Joe Maddon and ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez during a pre-production meeting for “Sunday Night Baseball,” sources told The Athletic, as two of the game’s biggest personalities aired their grievances inside the Wrigley Field clubhouse.



Two weeks after Rodriguez questioned Yu Darvish’s toughness and hinted at bad team chemistry, Maddon agreed to the standard pregame session with national TV talent, viewing it as a responsibility to one of Major League Baseball’s biggest partners. Maddon also used it as an opportunity to vent his frustrations with Rodriguez, who had zero interest in an apology tour after his criticism of Darvish’s medical rehab program went viral and drove multiple news cycles.



“To say that it was ‘heated’ is irresponsible,” Maddon said after a jaw-dropping 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals that ended at 10:02 p.m. with David Bote’s...