Mo’ Joe for Cubs in 2020?

St Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs — Joe Maddon.

LOS ANGELES — Does the recent signing of closer Craig Kimbrel signal that manager Joe Maddon will return to the Cubs next season?

That seems to be the feeling around the team as the Cubs opened a four-game series Thursday against the Dodgers in a matchup of National League contenders.

A lot can change between now and the middle of a pennant race in a few months. But the signing of Kimbrel to a multiyear deal certainly signaled the front office’s renewed faith — so far — in a young core to extend a competitive window that is into its fifth season. The Cubs admitted that much.

And that might have been the most important factor in deciding whether to offer Maddon, the highest-paid manager in the game, upwards of his $6 million salary beyond this year after the front office decided to make 2019 a season of ‘‘reckoning,’’ as team president Theo Epstein put it.

‘‘I don’t put a lot of thought into that,’’ said Maddon, who is in the final year of his original five-year contract. ‘‘Everything that was said in the offseason was about getting this group right first.’’

After bouncing back from a season-opening 2-7 road trip, the Cubs climbed quickly into first place, where they had spent 32 of the last 39 days heading into the series opener against the Dodgers.

‘‘A lot of our position players have really taken a step forward, and I think with that there’s a different outlook and a different read on it, as of this moment,’’ said Maddon, who has gone back to his coaching roots with a more hands-on approach this season.

‘‘I think the [execs] are liking the way a lot of our guys are progressing right now. At some point, you’ve got to see actual performance, and I think they’re seeing performance.’’

Four Cubs ranked in the top two in NL All-Star voting at their positions in updates released this week, including two experiencing bounce-back seasons: third baseman Kris Bryant (from injury) and catcher Willson Contreras (from a second-half slump).

Shortstop Javy Baez is off to a better start than last season, when he finished second in MVP voting; first baseman Anthony Rizzo is off to his best 11-week start in four years; and left fielder Kyle Schwarber has an .885 OPS and 22 runs scored in 26 games since returning to the leadoff spot.

‘‘We know we have that window,’’ red-hot right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. ‘‘We heard talks about it in the offseason. But I couldn’t imagine right now some of these young guys being on the trade block. We’re just too talented; we’re too good. We knew we were going to put the product on the field and play well.’’

When Epstein gave his biggest commitment to a closer in 16 years running front offices in Boston and Chicago, he not only filled the 2019 team’s biggest hole but also dedicated guaranteed money to Kimbrel through the windows of club control of 17 players on the roster.

‘‘I don’t know how Joe factors into that,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘But he’s had so much success for a reason. . . . And I think every guy in here respects him and loves him.’’

That much, the front office never disputed.

‘‘When I say that we’re not giving him an extension this winter, it’s not punitive at all, and it’s not a foreshadowing of changing managers, per se, either,’’ Epstein said over the winter. ‘‘It’s a decision that we made, that our focus is on — all of us — to get the most that we can out of 2019 and evaluating from there.’’

The first result of that evaluation might be pitching in the ninth inning for the Cubs by the end of the month.

The next?

‘‘Joe has my ultimate stamp of approval every day, all day,’’ Rizzo said. ‘‘I’ll play for him any day of the week, twice on Sunday, twice on Monday, twice every day. . . . I love Joe. I love him like a dad.’’

WINDOW WATCHER

The signing of closer Craig Kimbrel means the Cubs have three of their starting pitchers, a closer, three other current relievers and 11 hitters under contract/club control through at least 2021. Those under control beyond this year:

Starting pitchers