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Ryne Sandberg is reportedly returning to the Chicago Cubs in 2016 to serve as a special ambassador, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.   

The 56-year-old Sandberg played 15 seasons for the Cubs from 1982-97 and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. 

According to CBS Chicago, the exact details of Sandberg’s gig with the Cubs will “probably” be revealed during his scheduled appearance at this weekend’s Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. 

Carrie Muskat of MLB.com added the official announcement of Sandberg’s hiring from the team will come this weekend. He’s regarded as one of the greatest players in franchise history, getting his No. 23 retired the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Sandberg has had an interesting relationship with the Cubs in recent years. He managed his way through their minor league system from 2006-10, with former Cubs skipper Lou Piniella saying prior to his retirement in 2010 that Sandberg would be in the mix to manage the MLB team, per MLB.com’s Andrew Simon.

However, the Cubs opted to hire Mike Quade, and Sandberg went to manage the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Triple-A team. He then took over as manager of the Phillies in August 2013 after Charlie Manuel was fired. 

Following two rebuilding seasons with the Phillies, Sandberg resigned as manager last June. He’s since mended any fences with the Cubs, even throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field in October prior to the team’s National League Division Series Game 3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. 

After last year’s breakout season in which the Cubs advanced to the National League Championship Series, 2016 is going to be a huge year for the franchise. Bringing back one of the key figures from years past, like Sandberg, will only increase the good vibes around the North Side of Chicago. 

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Ryne Sandberg resigned from his role as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday with the team holding the worst record in baseball at 26-48. The Phillies announced that Pete Mackanin will take over as manager on an interim basis.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed the Baseball Hall of Famer’s departure. Although the Phillies clearly lacked the necessary talent to contend for a postseason berth this season, Rosenthal provided some thoughts from behind the scenes on why the club may have wanted to go in a different direction:

Sandberg compiled a 119-159 record across parts of three seasons with the Phillies. The organization is currently caught in the middle, with a necessary rebuild at hand but several veteran players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels still on the roster.

Fox Sports MLB passed along Sandberg’s comments about his decision to resign:

His future status with the club was also in question, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, so his decision to leave now avoids any possible conflict:

Simply put, it’s hard to imagine any top candidates wanting the Phillies job right now. They are a team in transition, and it’s going to take some time to sort things out. The rebuild may also require some big trades at the deadline, so Mackanin could hold the position until season’s end.

The outlook for Philadelphia should become more clear after the trade deadline, as the team will likely deal its aging players while bringing in replacements to build around. At that point, it should become easier to sell the managerial job to prospective candidates, who will be able to help craft and mold the roster their way for the future.

With Sandberg apparently feeling change on the horizon, he decided to step away on his terms. And with the team struggling, it’s hard to blame him.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com