With the shocking news that long-time Brewers manager Craig Counsell signed a five-year, $40MM contract with the Cubs, a new managerial free agent entered the fray: David Ross. The freshly fired former Cubs manager should be an intriguing candidate for those teams still in need of a skipper, and indeed, at least one club is already interested. Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres are “considering adding Ross to their candidate pool” for the position left vacant by Bob Melvin, who recently traveled north for a job with the Giants.
Before the game of managerial musical chairs began on Monday, the Padres and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller had reportedly narrowed down their search to four finalists: senior advisor to player development and major leagues Mike Shildt, bench coach and offensive coordinator Ryan Flaherty, Angels infield coach Benji Gil, and Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. According to Acee, the team wasn’t planning to interview any further candidates; their next manager would be one of Shildt, Flaherty, Gil, or Mendoza.
However, with Ross now available, along with the news that the Mets have hired Mendoza to be their next manager, the Padres could be inclined to reconsider their options. After all, Preller has a well-documented history of changing his mind. Acee mentions several surprise hires the executive made during his tenure with the Padres, including former managers Andy Green and Jayce Tingler.
Of Shildt, Flaherty, and Gil, only Shildt has genuine managerial experience; he took over from Mike Matheny as the Cardinals manager in 2018, steering the team for the next four years. St Louis had a winning record in all four of his seasons at the helm, making the playoffs in the final three. Shildt was fired due to “philosophical differences” with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, but he seems to be on the same page with the front office in San Diego. He has spent the past two years working in the organization, and evidently, they are happy with the work he has done.
Still, if the Padres are looking for a seasoned manager to replace Melvin, one of the most experienced skippers in the game, Ross presents an intriguing alternative. He has spent the past four years with the Cubs, leading the team through a mini-rebuild and out the other side. By all indications, the Cubs were largely happy with his performance. At his end-of-season presser, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer praised his then-manager for the clubhouse culture he fostered. Indeed, if it weren’t for Counsell hitting the open market, the Cubs would almost certainly have stuck with Ross in 2024.
Why not?
Probably every team still looking for a new skipper will.
By philosophical differences they ment Arozarena and Garcia…. Wow John sure is behind the 8 ball here
Garcia took quite awhile to become good. Ignored by all of baseball when available after Texas DFA’d him once. No takers by any teams at that time. Arozarena went all-out on his own to improve himself after leaving STL. He made it his mission to succeed. That likely was not going to happen in STL as he was not making that effort while in STL.
I wanna see Preller take the gig.
Didn’t this happen? Didn’t a gm become a manager? I can’t think of the situation exactly but I thought within the last 10 years a gm took a manager job.
The great Bobby Cox
Cox traded for and drafted some of the great players of the 1990’s Braves he then started coaching? Was GM from ’86-90 then manager again until he retired
You forgot cause they erased that part of history along with the Cleveland Indians… and there great teams of the 1990’s… no wonder Manny Ramirez didn’t make the hall… C.C. Sabathia is gonna need Kenny Lofton to say “I don’t think he understands what he’s doing at his age” in the post game interview
Yes, in Miami. I forget the guys name but he did manage the Marlins. Seems like he stepped in for the guy he just fired. Believe it was just before they hired Mattingly.
Would that be Jack McKeon? He managed the Marlins when he was 80 in 2011. I don’t remember if he had been GM.
It was Dan Jennings, who was the GM and then became manager in May 2015 until the end of the season.
It’s just a shame Dan Jennings (the relief pitcher) wasn’t still on the team like he was 2012 – 2014 lol
“Trader Jack” McKeon was the Padres GM in the eighties.
This is the one I was thinking of. I knew it was Miami because that’s where all the circus stuff goes down at
You’re thinking of Queens.
“Trader Jack” McKeon was GM of the Padres from the 1980 All-Star break through the latter part of the 1990 season, building the team won the 1984 NL pennant. He ended up firing Larry Bowa as manager in May 1988 and appointed himself field boss while remaining GM. He later stepped down as manager at the 1990 All-Star break in favor of Greg Riddock and then was fired toward the end of that season as Padres GM when the Tom Werner ownership brought in Joe McIlvaine.
Ross would move to the top of this list in my book. Counsell to the Cubs is pretty wild.
Interesting, but I still think I would like to see Shildt.
They did this guy dirty kicking him to the curb like they did. I hope he lands on his feet and gets another gig.
Did the same thing to Renteria when they hired Joe Madden. It’s becoming damn hard to stay a loyal Cubs fan when the organization has zero loyalty (and apparently zero class).
It’s a business and winning is the goal.
It’s a business and winning is the objective.
Sure because no team ever fired a manager who still had a contract. How did that Maddon (Maddon with an O) hiring go? Ross got hired only because he was the Cubs upper management buddy, then they found out he was a bad strategic manager. I’m thrilled he’s gone
Stop yourself. I bet you were thrilled in 2016.
No, they didn’t. He still gets paid for 2024 from the Cubs, so how is that dirty? A better manager came along. It’s as simple as that.
My choice would be Ross. Catcher managers always seem to find success. Plus would be a great mentor to Campusano.
Maybe he’d like to be Shildt’s bench coach? I think I like that alignment the best!
BoMel was a catcher. For what it’s worth.
And he had a lot of success in Oakland prior to his stint in San Diego. Espscially given the financial constraints.
Most of us like Ross. Was he a good manager or simply an adequate manager? You have to ask the question… if you can upgrade your players at a particular position and DFA one, pick up another and improve as a team, why not think the same way with a manager’s position? Albeit they over-paid greatly for Counsell at $40M for five years..
Fans really need to stop penny pinching for owners. The Cubs can afford it and need to start acting like it.
Over paid? The guy was given a penny pinchers allotment of players and made it work. He would be doing just fine with any club willing to shell out a little cash. Cubs are looking solid and needed a different manager. He would have done great with the Mets too. Glad to see him pushing the needle for all managers as he said he’d do.
Ross would make an absolute great Coach – but he has some real issues as a manager. He doesn’t trust young players, he shows no desire to want to work with them when they struggle. Down the stretch his excuse for not playing them was that he wanted to play the ‘guys who got them, there’. I ask, where’d ‘they’ get him? Fired?
The Cubs didn’t blow their run for the playoffs only in September – they blew it more so in April and May – when Hosmer and Mancini, and sometimes Barnhart had their names repeatedly placed on the lineup card.
I agree. Honestly Snitker ticks me off so much because Rosario. That guy sucks and I’m glad he didn’t hit for chit this postseason cause it proves he’s neither clutch or good. Way overpaid for a mediocre outfielder. I wish the Braves would have picked up Bellinger on a trade with LA last year before they non tendered him.
The Cubs front office just signed the most sought after manager this off-season to the biggest contract in MLB history, without anyone knowing a thing.
And the Padres front office can’t help but get themselves in the news deciding over the scraps. This front office is a total joke.
California….
The Padres weren’t going to commit $40M ($8M a year, x 5) to any manager. They have enough money issues, trying to get under the luxury tax limits, and have PLAYER needs to fill. Counsell could have called Preller and Seidler personally, and begged for a contract, and it wouldn’t have happened. The Brewers were trying to hire him back for $5M a year.
You seem to be able to generate lot of reasons to hate the Padres. Maybe you need to follow another team? Just sayin’ ….
I never said they needed to pursue Counsell. They can hire whoever they want, but the leaky nature of this front office creates problems. It communicates a lack of faith in Schildt or Flaherty. The front office already knows those two up close, if you’re going to hire one of those two you need to keep other pursuits quite, so that in the end it looks like they were your guy all along.
As it is they now have 5 different candidates they have publicly considered, including one AFTER they interviewed the other 4. You’re setting up a big piece of the clubhouse to be let down because their favorite didn’t get hired before the new manager even takes the job. Again they can interview whoever they want, just don’t let the whole world know about it, Of course this assumes that your GM is not an attention goblin, which the Padres have issues with.
It’s a business and winning is LoLz. – John Fisher
@holycow16
F your protests lolz. – John Fisher
Why is it I can’t bring myself to believe anything Acee writes?
He’s a hack but honestly the way to move up the ladder when you get clicks/eyeballs. I used to think the same way about Jeff Passan who was way worse and created controversy. Now he does respectable investigative pieces for ESPN and has a NYT bestseller.
Because you shouldn’t. Acee writes stuff that is intended to be clickbait and seldom has any meat, just innuendo and sensationalism. This one is a complete farce.
The headline is correct with the exception of (with a twist?)
More likely just two Padres FO members that have nothing to do with the hiring talking in the hallway. One says “Ross?” The other replies, “nah I like Shildt better”.
To Acee that is ROSS TO BE ADDED TO LIST OF PADRES CANDIDATES? NEWS AT 11!!
Mastrobuoni to the Padres.
Hope Ross gets interviewed and at least some consideration. The Cubs just pulled off one if the worst tricks in MLB again with their treatment of him.
He has to go to the Brewers, doesn’t he?
The Cubs did this before when they hired Maddon. They are soulless…..
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season turn, turn, turn.
Let’s all get with the real news. Stephen Vogt is a manager!
RING RING hi david it’s nick krall how about coming to cincy we can promote david hell we employ most all bells and Boone family anyway
Ross is not a good Manager and any team that hires him will regret the hiring.
Look, Ross is the main reason why the Cubs failed to make it to the playoffs, so when the chance rolled around to get Craig, well the Cubs took him and let Ross go.
If the Friars sign Ross, well don’t expect any playoff push at all.
*Aaron Boone has joined the chat, as he gets off his 12-speed Mongoose*
Hey guys, super stoked to see Counsel land with the Cubbies, I was sweating bullets.
Thank goodness my boss is still enamored with that one homer I hit that one time.
Now, excuse me while I march in whatever parade my publicist tells me to. Sadly, no canyon of heroes here. Just lots of hand sanitizing and elbow taps.
*Puts mask back on and frolics away to his bike, helmet in hand*
Its been a day and the Padres have not reached out to Ross according to Ross himself in interview earlier this morning, so their interest was not very high apparently.
Its more like two FO people at the AFL playoffs were overheard saying “what about David Ross?” and the other answering “not a good fit” so Acee wrote an article saying they were “considering adding him to their list of candidates”. A complete nothingburger like everything he writes.
Acee is so full of it. He cannot stand not being in the news himself that he will make up clickbait to keep you clicking on his articles.