3 David Ross destinations to make Cubs pay, 1 that doesn't work
By Mark Powell
It's tough to blame the Chicago Cubs for hiring Craig Counsell, who is one of the top managers in all of baseball. Counsell has earned every bit of the five-year, $40 million contract Chicago gave him to replace David Ross. However, it's tough not to look back on how Ross was treated, specifically. After the season was over, Chicago's front office gave Ross confidence in a looming return, with ownership going as far as to say he was their guy.
“I was very pleased with Rossy this year,” Jed Hoyer said in early October. “Coming from being 10 under (.500) and sort of maintaining the competitiveness but also having the team never focus on individual stuff, we never lost that. Creating that type of culture is very difficult, and he does a fantastic job of that.”
I'm not sure how Ross could have seen this coming. Yes, the Cubs late-season collapse was a disastrous one, but assuming he wasn't fired at the end of the season, why would he expect to be let go now?
“The manager in a big market is always going to get criticism,” Hoyer continued. “That’s part of the job. Do we have disagreements and do we have heated conversations? Of course we do, but you will do that with any manager. He’s constantly trying to improve, but ultimately we were very pleased with the job he did this year.”
This was a blindside, and it'd be tough to blame Ross if he felt slighted at all. Let's take a glimpse into that universe.
David Ross destination that works: San Diego Padres
Managing another National League team -- and one which could be competing for an NL Wild Card spot next season if their roster plays up to par -- would allow Ross to get right back into the playoff race. Ross was mentioned as a presumed candidate in San Diego shortly after his firing. FanSided's Alicia de Artola summed up the Pads managerial search in a previous article:
"According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune,the Padres are considering adding Ross to their managerial candidate pool after finding out that he was being replaced in Chicago. Other candidates considered for the job are Padres bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Los Angeles Angeles infield coach Benji Gil, and San Diego senior advisor to player development and former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt."
The worst factor in Ross's dismissal is timing. Had the Cubs fired Ross at the end of the season, he'd have a leg up in managerial searches. Instead, he's forced to make up ground on the fly. Given that list of names, it's tough to see Ross getting the gig over the likes of Mike Shildt and other veterans.