Major League Baseball has contacted the Chicago Cubs and Joe Maddon's agent to begin an investigation into how his hiring occurred, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The New York Post reported that MLB was looking into whether the Cubs contacted Maddon before he opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays late last month. Days later, he signed a five-year deal to manage the Cubs.

"We welcome the MLB investigation," Cubs president Theo Epstein said. "There was no tampering whatsoever. I'd rather they investigate so we can clear our name and move on from this quickly. We're giving our full cooperation and we welcome it."