TEMPE, Ariz. – At the beginning of spring training, while answering repeated questions about the bullpen, Cubs manager Joe Maddon sounded a little…



“Chippy?” Maddon said Tuesday, staring out at the red popchips advertisement on Tempe Diablo Stadium’s left-field fence.



Yeah, that’s a good word for it. Maddon sometimes uses the media to send messages to the clubhouse and pump confidence into his players. Maddon exhibits amazing patience and restraint around reporters, but there are rare moments when you can tell that he is a little annoyed and trying to make a larger point.



Even if running a bullpen is a relatively small part of the job for a modern big-league manager, everything Maddon does during the final year of his contract will be scrutinized.



But Maddon also analyzes the numbers and the trends and sees that last season the Cubs led the National League in bullpen ERA (3.35), batting average against (.225) and...