The Chicago Cubs dropped a stunning revelation on us on Monday afternoon. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, they hired former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell as their new clubhouse leader. That’s great for them because Counsell is quite good but, uh … wasn’t David Ross still their manager?
Something doesn’t quite add up here.
News of Counsell’s hire came as a shock to the MLB world because the Cubs seemingly offered zero notice that Ross — Chicago’s manager since 2020 — wouldn’t be returning to the organization. In fact, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts even went as far as to say that Ross was their guy moving forward after the 2023 season ended. So, again, what changed between early October and now? And why didn’t anyone with Cubs brass say anything in advance?
Wow. David Ross was under contract through next season with a club option for 2025.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had both publicly supported Ross at the end of the season with Ricketts saying, “He’s our guy.” https://t.co/YyUNCXn0eO
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) November 6, 2023
Ross’s apparent sudden departure from the Cubs had MLB fans speculating about what could’ve happened when Counsell officially took over as Chicago’s manager.