Even Cubs fans can't believe how poorly David Ross was treated in shocking firing
By Mark Powell
The Chicago Cubs made a shocking decision on Monday afternoon as they hired former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Craig Counsell as their new manager. The only problem, of course, is that Jed Hoyer and Co. had an existing manager in David Ross.
While the Cubs September collapse had some fans calling for Ross's firing, Hoyer and the front office stood by him. Now just a month later, the front office changed their tone, hiring Counsell to take over Ross's role.
“I was very pleased with Rossy this year,” 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.”
Why did the Cubs fire David Ross in favor of Craig Counsell?
To be fair to the Cubs, hiring Counsell isn't necessarily an indictment of Ross. Counsell is one of the best managers in the sport. There's a reason Chicago gave Counsell a five-year, $40 million deal.
However, the Cubs treatment of Ross deserves a spotlight. Both privately and publicly, Chicago's front office did nothing but praise the former World Series-winning catcher. Then, the minute they got the chance, they cut him loose in favor of another manager. The business of baseball can be ruthless sometimes.
Really hope David Ross isn't on a plane right now
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) November 6, 2023
David Ross finding out via Twitter that he’s no longer the manager of the Cubs: pic.twitter.com/t8Tg3Lwv8A https://t.co/ngY7c46x0X
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) November 6, 2023
David Ross trying to get into Wrigley Field this morning pic.twitter.com/gcMccZ1wLy
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) November 6, 2023
Wow. David Ross was under contract through next season with a club option for 2025.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) November 6, 2023
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
Hoyer and ownership praised Ross as "their guy", but then quickly turned their backs on him. The comments from early October only make matters look worse.
“The manager in a big market is always going to get criticism,” Hoyer said. “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.”
It's tough to blame Chicago or any team with a middling manager for chasing after Counsell. At the same time, though, we can only hope Ross had more notice than the general public.
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