Former Cubs manager David Ross is interested in a return to managing, the ex-skipper told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “It’s an itch that hasn’t gone away.” Ross has been out of baseball for the past two years after getting fired by Chicago following the 2023 campaign.
Ross spent four seasons at the helm in Chicago. He had no previous managing experience prior to taking over for Joe Maddon after the 2019 season. Ross led the Cubs to an NL Central title in the shortened 2020 season, but the squad was dispatched by the Marlins in the Wild Card round. Chicago failed to reach the playoffs for the final three years under Ross. After back-to-back seasons well below .500, Ross led the team to 83 wins in 2023, but they fell a game short of a Wild Card berth. The Cubs moved on that offseason, choosing to hand Craig Counsell a record five-year, $40MM deal.
The jump from player to manager without a previous coaching gig was a bit surprising, but Ross was a familiar face in Chicago. He spent his final two seasons as a player with the Cubs, winning a World Series in 2016. The photo of Ross being carried off the field by his teammates was an iconic image following the curse-breaking victory.
Ross relayed to Rosenthal that he was not interviewed by the Reds, Marlins, or White Sox during their managerial searches ahead of the 2025 season. He added that there were conversations about bench coach positions, but nothing came to fruition. The Athletic had previously reported that the Yankees and Orioles had shown interest in Ross for bench coach roles since he’d been fired by the Cubs, but the former catcher preferred a managerial position if he were to return to the dugout.
This offseason presents plenty of opportunities. With Brian Snitker stepping down this week, there are now a staggering eight managerial openings around the league. The Twins and Giants fired their managers at the end of the regular season. The Nationals, Orioles, and Rockies did so during the season (though none of those teams have firmly declared that their interim skipper won’t be back). The Rangers and Bruce Bochy are parting ways. The Angels chose not to retain Ron Washington, who stepped away midseason due to heart surgery. The team also announced that interim manager Ray Montgomery, who took over for Washington, will not be back.
Ross isn’t the only former manager in search of a new home. Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote last month that Brandon Hyde, Derek Shelton, Bud Black, and Davey Martinez are all looking to land skipper positions after getting fired during this past season. Rocco Baldelli, Bob Melvin, Bochy and Washington were all let go at the end of the year.
I know this article is about David Ross but Derek Shelton believing he could get a manager job is so funny
I like David Ross. Hope he gets it.
I am surprised he has been unemployed for two years.
Ross absolutely deserves another chance and so does Ricky Renteria. They both basically got shafted by their bosses because a supposedly better option came along. Both of them should be considered for the job openings this year. They both made chicken salad out of chicken ___ but never got to sample the result. Dial them up.
Made chicken salad out of chicken? What else are you supposed to make it out of?
Chicken salad is mostly soy these days
Back in the 90’s it was mostly HGH. So much better.
“They both basically got shafted by their bosses because a supposedly better option came along”
Like when Hoyer got rid of Renteria for 2016 WS-winning manager Joe Maddon?
Yeah exactly. Not saying it didn’t work out. Just saying Renteria never did anything to get fired. He deserves another shot. I think he would have been a great option for the Pirates with a young club but they already picked the wrong guy so there’s that. And the Club Maddon had should have played in more than one.
Ross wasn’t the answer in Chicago. You can argue whether or not Counsell is or not, but at least they knew they had to make a move and did it.
Please come to Boston for the springtime.
But if gets the Rockies job, he can “live up in the mountains where they have a lot of room.”
Ramblin’ boy why don’t you settle down…Denver ain’t your kind of town.
Looking more and more like Boone saved his job again for awhile anyway.. Yankee fans can thank Schlitterer. LOL
Kid is pitching his butt off. What an effort!
Renteria fired himself from the South side with his choices/moves made in the playoff series vs Oakland. I still would have rather had Renteria as manager on the Northside vs Maddon. Cubs won in spite of Maddon.
Ross was replaced not due to incompetent management but due to CC’s interest in the job/Cubs money. Ross is a better manager than some of the others mentioned in the article.
Renteria made one bad choice in his first playoff series and deserved to be replaced by a drunk mistake? You gotta explain that one to me.
If I was a betting man, I’d bet Ross or Walt Weiss will be the Braves next manager. I’d prefer Ross in that situation to mix stuff up, but honestly I want Skip Schumaker really bad as our manager. He’s a perfect fit to take the culture to a new lvl without drastically changing decades of tradition. Ross is the next best option from all the candidates I currently see available
He’s a good manager on a rebuilding team, that’s it, at best.
Brandon Hyde welcome to Colorado!
Whatever happens this is shaping up to be the best post season of baseball I’ve seen in a long time. All of these games so far have been well played and interesting. Baseball could get some fan support back if they’re not stupid enough to ruin it by going on strike next year. Let’s see how smart they really are.
Genuinely surprised by all the sentiments expressed by people wanting David Ross to be their next manager. I just don’t get it.
And, hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hater, not even a little bit. David Ross was an integral member of the Cubs team that broke the curse in 2016, so I have nothing but love for the guy and hope he does well.
But I found it odd that the Cubs hired him in the first place, figured it was mostly a way of the Ricketts trying to coast off the 2016 good vibes as they went about dismantling the team to save some money, so why not get a manager on the cheap too. And though Ross did a credible job as manager- better than most would expect- there was nothing particularly special he did that should be generating all this hope by fans that he become their team’s next manager. Bench coach? Sure. I could see him thriving as a bench coach. But all this enthusiasm to hand Ross the steering wheel? What’s up with that? Dude hasn’t even been in baseball the past couple years.
There’s certainly front offices that want a guy who will follow their scouting plan and keep vibes up in the dugout. Won’t surprise me if he gets a shot again.
looks like this is the year to return to managing. Just by virtue of the number of vacanices: 8!! Surely someone will be interested
Hopefully the Reds will have the courage to fire Tito and hire one of these guys…
I can’t remember a sports signing I was so excited about that turned out to be so bad…
People on the outside won’t see it as they’ll just look at his resume and the fact the Reds made the playoffs for the first time in forever but he was actually horrendous this year in just about every decision he made…