MLB rumors: 3 most shocking hot and cold manager seats
By Josh Wilson
Surprising: David Ross’s seat isn’t even lukewarm
The Chicago Cubs got off to a really hot start this season, surprising most early expectations off impressive starting pitching performances and quality batting.
Through the first 20 games, Chicago was 12-8. But April ended up being a wash with a 13-13 record, and May so far has been a complete drag and regression to those preseason projections about the Cubs with a 6-13 record in the month so far. In total they are 20-26 and have fallen to third in the division, 3-7 in their last 10.
Chicago does not stand the test of pressure, with a 2-10 record in one-run games. That’s why the Cubs have a top-10 run differential but sit 23rd in win percentage. Managers, fair or not, shoulder the blame for close game wins and losses because those contests come down to execution, pitching matchups, and other aspects that are solely the manager and coaching staff’s call.
Ross has been the subject of fan frustrations over the last several years, which isn’t completely fair since Chicago has endured a rebuild under most of his tenure. Rosenthal reports, though, that President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer is expected to publicly support Ross.
He’s under contract through 2025, so it would cost a presumably sizable amount for Chicago to get out of the deal. Rosenthal’s colleague Sahadev Sharma confirmed that he doesn’t think Ross is “anywhere near” the hot seat (subscription required).