It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been closely following the Cubs’ search for a replacement for Joe Maddon, but now it’s official: former catcher David Ross will be the team’s next manager, signing a three-year deal with a club option for 2023.
“David is as gifted a leader as I’ve ever come across, and I expect him to become a great manager,” team president Theo Epstein said. “He is a natural connector with a high baseball IQ and a passion for winning. David has always stood out for his ability to cultivate the ingredients of a winning culture: accountability, hard work, hustle, competitiveness, trust, togetherness, and team identity.”
At age 42, the World Series champ will be the youngest Cubs manager since Jim Riggleman was hired in 1994, and critics have pointed to his lack of managerial experience. But as a member of the 2016 Cubs, he also was a leader known for delivering tough love to his teammates when the situation called for it.
“A lot has been made, and rightfully so, of my connection to the 2016 World Series team and the notion that I’ll now be managing players I once counted on as teammates,” Ross said in a statement. “Having those relationships going into this will be a bonus, no doubt about it. But those guys know I’ll be the first to hold them accountable, the first to demand their best daily effort and the first to let them know about it if they give anything but their best. I never had a problem dishing out a lot of tough love as their teammate, and that won’t change as their manager. We’ll have our fair share of fun along the way, but working hard as a team, playing fundamental team baseball and winning a lot of games will be our top priorities.”
An official press conference announcing Ross is scheduled for Monday (Oct. 28) at noon EST/11 a.m. CST.
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